Children Of Men

Children of Men starts off with a very powerful beginning, drawing in viewers and captivating them till the very end. Taking us into a normal day of an average man simply craving a coffee and gaining a near-death-experience in return, Children of Men proves the dangerous circumstances citizens of Britain were facing at the time and how helpless they were to their fate. There are many features the director, Alfonso Curon, took into consideration in an attempt to make this fact shown. The first and foremost is the use of colour, or more so, the lack there of. By using an extreme greyscale pallet it both symbolizes and reflects the pain and sorrow felt by society. There is no hope in their lives, no yellow stream of light to follow. In addition to use of colour, camera technique is another key factor of this film. The scenes in which the camera has a shaky, bloodstained, documentary, style to them adds to the audiences’ ability to feel as if they are experiencing these tragic events alongside the characters. It gives us a quick taste of a warzone atmosphere and keeps us on our toes in suspense waiting for the next human body to fly across the screen. The third, and most effective in my opinion, feature used to make the film realistic is the producers capability of controlling our emotions. Alfonso absorbs a large amount of sympathy from the audience through portraying a dirty, messy, poverty-stricken environment society is forced to call home. We feel disgust and hate towards the government for having immigrants detained behind gates and enslaved in alien camps, stamping them with a less-than-human status. 

 The most terrifying situation possible to encounter includes not only the idea of infertility itself, yet realizing you and everyone around you are hopeless in finding a solution; coming to the realization there is nothing you can do to change the course of your life or humanity itself. When matters become too great for our hands; they stay out of our hands forever. Though our nation is not swept with infertility, the fear behind it is what becomes a very probable worry for our future. Children represent hope, new beginnings, and a fresh start. By taking that away you take away any little fragment left of faith, any motive to live on and achieve something greater. Bearing children is the sole purpose we are put on this earth, by losing the ability to give birth; we lose a touch of humanity and welcome in barbarianism.

What I really enjoyed in this film was the fact that it wasn’t your typical, rosy, we-all-live-happily-ever-after, rather there were many tragic twists to it. For starters, Julian and Theo’s love isn’t exactly what you would call your Hollywood romance, it was dented and complicated yet sweet at the same time. In addition, a large amount of characters that we grow emotionally attached to end up murdered in cold blood leaving us with the feeling of remorse. Another surprising twist I didn’t see coming was the bad faith of the Fishies, the idea that people you invest your trust and life with are not who you believe. To me, the originality of this film is what made it worthwhile.

Though as a whole I greatly enjoyed this film, there were aspects to it I was not as fond of. I thought it very unrealistic that the world seemed to halt around Kee and her baby as soon as they were seen. There was a mystic sort of force field surrounding them as they passed guaranteeing them safety, whereas in reality they would be prime targets. In addition, it seemed highly unlikely that Theo would be able to dodge the thousands of bullets being shot at him, especially while fashioning flip flops. Furthermore, though I understand the intentions behind leaving out details to keep the audience wondering, I personally would have liked to gain some background information on what happened to Britain making it so disastrous.  I am highly curious to know what would cause a world to become infertile and am forced to believe producers lacked a believable story and therefore left it unknown

This film shows the realistic side of being a hero, the side usually overshadowed and overlooked. Being a hero comes with great consequences, consequences that sometimes, do not even let you see the outcome of your accomplishments.

V for Vendetta

What describes a villain? Subconsciously, the first thought that comes to mind is a person who causes terror, who wilfully takes the lives of others with no sympathy or remorse for anyone other than themselves. If this is true, can the means and reasons of their actions justify their ends? It is easy to say no, that murder is murder and nothing makes it tolerable, but even so, in V for Vendetta we can not help but view V as a hero rather than an accomplice. Through his various humanly acts of love and affection we as audience grow attached to this havoc inflicting terrorist. The miraculous movie V for Vendetta beautifully captures your attention the whole way through changing your outlook on V after every step he takes. To me, a good movie is based upon whether it broadens your view on the life surrounding you or not, and this movie did exactly that. What makes this film so appealing are the controversies that arise with it, the fact that people can disagree on their outlooks and both sides still have valid reasons backing them up. The movie, and the characters in it, were relatable, loveable, and hateable.

A key element of narrative in this film is the excellent use of costumes. The idea behind never revealing V’s face adds to the mystery of his character and leaves it to each of our imaginations to picture our own V. By placing a face under the mask we would view him as more human and find his actions more intolerable, whereas now he is placed in a category almost above human, closer to hero. He would seem more average, regular, with a face revealed and I believe we would have lost respect for him. Not only is V hidden by the mask, but he creates a symbol out of it and adds importance to it. The mask exposes the importance of identity. The major issue with London’s society at the time is the constant fear they have of their surroundings. Though most are unhappy with the governments’ actions they think themselves useless and powerless as merely one person versus the government. They are afraid of getting hurt, afraid of failure, and afraid of death. What they need is belief, and that is exactly what the mask symbolizes. Beneath it, individuals gain a sense of strength, power, and most of all, mystery. Hidden by a layer of plastic gives them the opportunity to have an alternate identity, one in which they gain strength and unity and are no longer afraid to stand up but rather to stay still. It allows everyone to mask themselves and overlap their emotions with V’s courage and fearlessness.

This movie is here to open our eyes, to let us know the world is not as innocent as we believe. V makes me question my own morals as I doubt myself as to whether or not he is a villain or a hero. It irritates me that the plot of this film make me view terrorists around the world differently. One side of me wants to believe their human too and might have a story to back up their vengeance, while another,  larger, part knows it doesn’t change anything even if they do. The sole purpose we are able to look at V with love and admiration is due to our knowledge of his history and intentions. We are aware of the fact that the government has ruined his life by mutating his appearance, and for this reason V's anger at the government is transferred to our emotions, excusing his actions. Does this mean killing is okay if it comes with reason? While examining facts alone, V should be referred to what he really is, a murderer.  In essence, by justifying V we rationalize terrorists worldwide and belittle their acts. Though i thoroughly enjoyed this film and largely recommend it, i hope its plot forever remains a fantasy and fails to ignite in reality.