84
Metascore
38 reviews · Provided by Metacritic.com
- 100Los Angeles TimesKenneth TuranLos Angeles TimesKenneth TuranMade 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
- 100The A.V. ClubKeith PhippsThe A.V. ClubKeith PhippsIt's a heartbreaking, bullet-strewn valentine to what keeps us human.
- 90Village VoiceJ. HobermanVillage VoiceJ. HobermanIt's a measure of Cuarón's directorial chops that Children of Men functions equally well as fantasy and thriller. Like Spielberg's "War of the Worlds" and the Wachowski Brothers' "V for Vendetta" (and more consistently than either), the movie attempts to fuse contemporary life with pulp mythology.
- 90L.A. WeeklyScott FoundasL.A. WeeklyScott FoundasOne of the year's most imaginative and uniquely exciting pieces of cinema.
- 80VarietyDerek ElleyVarietyDerek ElleyPicture 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.
- 80The Hollywood ReporterRay BennettThe Hollywood ReporterRay BennettOwen 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.
- 75ReelViewsJames BerardinelliReelViewsJames BerardinelliAlthough imperfect, it's engaging, thought-provoking stuff.
- 75USA TodayClaudia PuigUSA TodayClaudia PuigAn exhilarating sci-fi action thriller with a powerful social and political message.
- 70NewsweekDavid AnsenNewsweekDavid AnsenChildren of Men leaves too many questions unanswered, yet it has a stunning visceral impact. You can forgive a lot in the face of filmmaking this dazzling.
- 70Chicago ReaderJonathan RosenbaumChicago ReaderJonathan RosenbaumThe film gradually devolves into action-adventure, then the equivalent of a war movie. But the filmmaking is pungent throughout, and the first half hour is so jaw-dropping in its fleshed-out extrapolation that Cuaron earns the right to coast a bit.