2. Children Of Men
Budget: $76,000,000 Worldwide Box Office: $69,959,751
One of the best sci-fi films of the last 10 years. Children of Men, loosely based on the P. D. James novel The Children of Men, is set in 2027, where female infertility has rendered a near collapse of civilisation, with the possibility of the extinction of the human race forcing governments to take extreme measures to maintain order and civility. Clive Owen stars as a former activist who, after being kidnapped, is asked by his former wife to lead the only known pregnant woman of Earth to a scientific base for research into curing infertility. Its an undeniably powerful film, with character development playing a key role in how the story and message is conveyed to the viewer. One of the most impressive aspects of the film is how fluid and controlled the single shot sequences of the film are, with one scene lasting over six minutes. The ability to maintain that length of shot without ever compromising the story is incredibly impressive and Cauron should be praised for such an ambitious undertaking. Intense, dramatic and emotive, Children of Men wasnt nearly as successful at the box office as it should have been, with the films worldwide box office takings just falling short of its $76 million budget. Its lack of success is slightly puzzling, considering how much money other less intelligent, less thought-provoking films make today. The visual aesthetic employed by Alfonso Cuaron is certainly a strength of the film. Employing a grittier, washed out feel that is representative of the state that society has become, with explosions, gunfire and armies littering the once civilised streets of Britain. It is wonderfully done. Fans of Cuaron can look forward to his next film Gravity, released October 4th.