There's just something more "real" about British future-world/post-apocalyptic movies. I think it's the drab, muted colours of the country itself that lend a very plausible tone to the films. Logan's Run, 1984, A Clockwork Orange, Brazil, 28 Days Later and now Children of Men are all movies I enjoyed greatly and I am a man that loves his post-apocalyptic movies. Hell, I've watched both Waterworld AND The Postman more than a couple of times.
I just love that whole idea of transformation and beginning anew against adverse conditions. It's also likely why I'm a sucker for deserted island movies.
The film is set 20 years from now, and begins on the day the youngest human in the world is killed – he was 18. No one is sure why, but humanity is now unable to reproduce. Seeing the horizon of their existence, the world has fallen into chaos; all but the embryo of modern civilization, Britain – well, almost. Massive floods of immigrants are causing a rampant nationalistic xenophobia among the locals, and the "fugees" (refugees, not Wyclef and Lauryn) are being rounded up into familiar-looking concentration camps. Like any good sci-fi movie set in the "not so distant future", we get a dose of our world's fascistic past and just a touch of modern hypocrisy.
Children of Men casts likes of Michael Caine, Julianne Moore and Clive Owen (at his I'm-just-as-talent-but-better-looking-than-Nic-Cage best), was directed by the rather in-demand Alfonso Cuarón, and is out widely across Europe. The movie is fantastic and I highly recommend you see it. However, should you be North American, you'll have to wait until shortly after Christmas – unless you live in China that is.
Gawd, I LOVE the lead-up to the awards season. For most of the year if I want to buy a new movie on DVD it is a complete gamble on whether it will be a crap camcorder/theatre job or a high quality copy from a DVD. But this time of year all the Fall dramas hit the cinemas and almost at the same time review copies hit the living rooms of awards judges for their consideration – and mine. I would like to take this opportunity to thank the Academy … I'm going to go watch The Departed.
Jarrod Wakley: 
Yeeling: 
AJB: 
Ping Pong: 
ccddmj: 
You should check out the comic book “Y: the Last Man”. It’s done by Brian K. Vaughn and it’ phenomenal. It’s another post-apocalyptic world in which reproduction is no more, not because of the inability to procreate, but because a crazy disease has killed every male on the planet. Except for one guy of course, the protagonist.
(I actually heard they were making a movie, but now after Children of Men?…..who knows)
I’ve heard about this comic, likely during rumours of it being made into a movie or in relation to some other post-apoc movies. You show me a way to read it in China and I’ll show you an interested reader
Thanks for reminding me that this movie existed. I saw the preview of it before leaving the States and really wanted to see it. Lucky for me, I do live in China, and will be soon adding this to my movie collection. Thanks again.
thanks for the heads up in that movie. this is the first i’d heard of it, even though i read the guardian everyday, which is usually great for media and culture news.
u forgot to mention Shaun of the Dead in that list of top brit apocalyptic movies – ok, it’s a comedy, but it’s still awesomely good.
steven
http://peoplesrepublicof.blog.com/
Hmm, couldn’t you just order it online? If even that is impossible in China I’ve got way too much to look forward to.
Britain? Drab? Well, Mr Wondrously-Colourful-Canadian…. Actually, you´re pretty much right, inner cities in England (Manchester as my primary example) wrote the book on being drab. There´s adverts for this film everywhere in Barca, think I´ll give it a whirl.
Been the cinema loads recently, seen some crackers and seen some absolute toss too…
Crackers – Little Miss Sunshine, Infiltrados (can´t remember the English title to save my life but it´s got DiCaprio, Matt Damon who I normally can´t stand, Mark Wahlberg, Jack Nicholson… the list goes on) and Borat (great British humour)
Toss – The Black Dahlia (I went on the basis that it would be an intriguing view into the history of Elizabeth Short´s murder… instead what I got was overly (and somewhat vomit-inducingly) melodramatic BOLLOCKS with a host of bad accents and terrible acting. I realise it was probably meant to be melodramatic in a 1940/50s style film… but it was CRRRRRRAP), The fucking Devil wears fucking Prada (three concise words – WORST FILM EVER. I´m not gonna waste my time typing about it, I´ve tried to repress the memory that I went to see it), and Russell Crowe´s A Good Year. Vomit. Big pile of. Absolutely sickeningly cheesy. Urrrrgggghhhhhh.
Just finished watching Infiltrados, or The Departed as it’s called in English… Scorsese and Monahan did a good job with it. Typically Scorsese – long and with lots of shots to the head – and all the more fantastic for it. Ah, hell… I’m going to do a quick post on this.