Children of MenMovie Reviews

Poster art for "Children of Men."

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Must Go!
Avg. Critic Score: 84 out of 100 Universal acclaim Metascore® based on all critic reviews
Information for Parents:
16 Iffy for 16+
Read Common Sense Media review

Critic scores range from 0 to 100, with higher scores indicating more favorable reviews.

  • 100
    Entertainment Weekly | Lisa Schwarzbaum

    It's a work of art that deserves a space cleared for its angry, nervous beauty. Read full review

  • 100
    San Francisco Chronicle | Peter Hartlaub

    Children of Men is Cuarn's run for freedom, with a riveting story, fantastic action scenes and acting so universally solid that even the dogs perform masterfully under his direction. Read full review

  • 100
    Washington Post | Ann Hornaday

    Working with his longtime cinematographer Emmanuel "Chivo" Lubezki, Cuaron creates the most deeply imagined and fully realized world to be seen on screen this year, not to mention bravura sequences that bring to mind names like Orson Welles and Stanley Kubrick. Read full review

  • 100
    The New York Times | Manohla Dargis

    Children of Men may be something of a bummer, but it's the kind of glorious bummer that lifts you to the rafters, transporting you with the greatness of its filmmaking. Read full review

  • 100
    Los Angeles Times | Kenneth Turan

    Made with palpable energy, intensity and excitement, it compellingly creates a world gone mad that is uncomfortably close to the one we live in. It is a "Blade Runner" for the 21st century, a worthy successor to that epic of dystopian decay Read full review

  • 100
    Chicago Sun-Times | Roger Ebert

    The performances are crucial, because all of these characters have so completely internalized their world that they make it palpable, and themselves utterly convincing. Read full review

  • 88
    Rolling Stone | Peter Travers

    Cuarn has a gift only the greatest filmmakers share: He makes you believe. Read full review

  • 80
    The Hollywood Reporter | Ray Bennett

    Owen carries the film more in the tradition of a Jimmy Stewart or Henry Fonda than a Clint Eastwood or Harrison Ford. He has to wear flip-flops for part of the time without losing his dignity, and he never reaches for a weapon or guns anyone down. Cuaron and Owen may have created the first believable 21st-century movie hero. Read full review

  • 80
    Variety | Derek Elley

    Picture more than delivers on the action front -- not in bang-for-your-buck spectacle but in the kind of gritty, doculike sequences that haul viewers out of their seats and alongside the main protags. Read full review

  • 75
    USA Today | Claudia Puig

    An exhilarating sci-fi action thriller with a powerful social and political message. Read full review

View more reviews for Children of Men on Metacritic

Information for Parents
Common Sense Media says Iffy for 16+ Gripping, violent look at the future. Adults only.
What Parents Need to Know Parents need to know that this dystopian drama includes such intense violence and other mature elements that you'll probably want to keep kids away (that is, if they're even interested). The film depicts a near-future world in the midst of anarchy, where terrorism is a constant threat. Characters drink, smoke, and use drugs frequently; a pot-dealing character is one of the most endearing in the film. Scenes include scary surprise attacks, drawn-out gunfire and shelling episodes, bloody amputated bodies, burning dead animals, and gory one-on-one combat. Some scenes are filmed in a way that makes viewers feel viscerally connected to the action, including the sense of intense threat and exhilaration. A very realistic and graphic childbirth scene occurs.
  • Families can talk about the movie's vision of the future -- and your own thoughts about what it might be like. Why do so many movies have a bleak vision of the future? Are you optimistic about it? Why or why not? What do you think is the biggest threat to the world's future? How do you balance daily life with thoughts or fears about greater social problems like war or environmental pollution? What do you think happens in the movie's imaginary world after the credits roll? How realistic do you think a scenario like this is?
The good stuff
  • message true0 Positive messages: Set amid extreme violence and social unrest, the film is about hope for the future. The main characters are good, if complex and flawed, people. One main character is a loveable pot-dealer and smoker. Lots of different races and ethnicities involved, some in powerful positions. People viewers think are good sometimes turn out bad.
What to watch for
  • violence false5 Violence: Absolutely over-the-top realistic graphic violence, including gunfire and shelling, bloody amputated bodies, burning dead animals, and gory one-on-one combat.
  • sex false3 Sex: Mention of promiscuity. Kee is the anti-virgin birthing the messiah in this twist on a Christmas story. Some brief and minor nudity. Graphic childbirth scene.
  • language false5 Language: Constant "f--k," "s--t," and everything else you can imagine.
  • consumerism false0 Consumerism: Not an issue
  • drugsalcoholtobacco false5 Drinking, drugs and smoking: The main character is an alcoholic who drinks and smokes cigarettes constantly. Another main character grows, smokes, and sells marijuana. Cigarettes and alcohol are often in background scenes. Imaginary euthanasia drug called "Quietus" is advertised and probably employed by a major character.
An independent nonprofit dedicated to providing families the information they need to help kids thrive in a world of media and technology. © Common Sense Media Inc. 2010. All rights reserved.

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Dave White

4.0

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… evil dystopias are always a kick … Read full review See Dave White's on MOVIENAME on Movies.com

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