This film has been praised for its' use of single-shot sequences, and these can be very effective when it comes to dropping the viewer right in the moment. However, there is nothing more likely to remind you that it's all just a bunch of actors on a well timed set, than a splodge of blood on the camera.
There is a body of science fiction that, once the premise has been set up, becomes a fairly hum-drum story that doesn't ask too many questions. Children of Men is by no means bereft of a message, but that which it offers could belong to any Dystopian Tale - moreover, the politics on display, although resonant with my own opinions, are far too vague to be anything other than a bit suspiscious. In fact, it's this "going for the gut" approach that detracts from the message, especially when that's a criticism leveled at the methods of other scaremongers. The ideas behind this story could have been presented in a film all to themselves, and it seems pointless to dress them up with this storyline, which just serves as a catalyst for the road movie genre.
Michael Caine makes a great hippy though.
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