2006 SF action, dir. Alfonso Cuaròn, Clive Owen, Clare-Hope Ashitey:
IMDb /
allmovie.
Twenty years after babies stopped being born, there may still be some hope.
In a fairly confused way. P. D. James is not the most
straightforward of writers in the first place, and the adaptation went
through four separate sets of scriptwriters before reaching the
screen. In theory, it seems that if this one pregnant woman can get to
the ship full of scientists, everything will somehow be all right… but
as two of the characters point out, the world was going to pot before
the infertility started, and it's gone more to pot now, and even if
everyone somehow magically started having babies again that wouldn't
actually make things better!
But there are some fine performances here, particularly from Julianne
Moore (who yet again takes what might be a dull role and manages to do
something interesting with it) and from Clive Owen, who rises slightly
above sentimental thuggery; and visually it's lovely, with some
well-faked single-shot sequences (particularly an attack on a car,
with things happening both inside and out; technically there are
hydraulic rams moving the seats around to allow the cameras in, and
CGI to cover for shot changes).
The problem is that we keep getting back to the script. I was an
interesting character, but I've delivered my lump of exposition, so I
have to leave the story in order that Theo and Kee can be the only two
left at the end. Why do we have to break into Not The Warsaw Ghetto
Honest to get to a ship that's going to be in a particular place off
the coast? Why can't we just go to a less heavily fortified bit of
coastline and steal a boat there? And oh look it's the Miracle of
the Squaddies (complete with heavenly choir) as both sides lay down
their weapons at the miraculous sight of a Baybee (even though one
side is attempting to capture that baby for its own propaganda
purposes, and one assumes the other would too when they find out about
it).
And because I'm not distracted I notice the heavy-handed colour
grading: almost everything's blue-tinted apart from one or two
friendly orange moments. I can admire a lot of what's done here, but I
find it hard to enjoy the film as a whole.
If you want more of my witterings, you should listen to
Ribbon of Memes.
- Posted by Ashley R Pollard at
10:49am on
09 October 2022
The story is what brings me joy. A story can be poorly told, have flaws etc, but if it hits the emotional spots I want, I will enjoy it. Enjoyment is clearly about taste, and everybodies taste is different.
However, P D Jame's story is what I'd label as SF for those who don't like SF (a slot that Michael Crichton served in a slightly different manner). I enjoy some of Crichton's work, some strays too far over the line.
Children of Men was lauded IIRC when it came to the scree, I saw it, and as a film buff I can appreciate the technical skill etc, but as a story it was IMNSHO a bit meh!
The premise, or McGuffin is so low hanging that the item has rotted away, but for those watchers who are not SF fans, I can imagine watching this film felt revelatory.
Colour me Peter Watts'ish at the plot. YMMV. Just here to shoot the breeze and talk shit.
- Posted by DrBob at
03:56pm on
09 October 2022
I much preferred the film to the book. That latter smacked too much of nice middle class people who thought the whole frightful mess could be sorted out with a strongly worded letter to The Times.
- Posted by RogerBW at
09:02am on
11 October 2022
DrBob: the overpowering impression I get from James's detective stories is that she thinks people should stay in their place and not try to be something they're not. And if they are poor or lower-class or ugly or suburban they should not offend real people by coming to their notice.
Ashley: I am always edgy when a writer known for another field (particularly lit-fic) decides to do some SF or fantasy, and usually comes up with something very old and tired and tropey, because they're thinking of their childhood memories of SF which may not have been the good stuff even then and certainly aren't now.
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