10 Greatest Unspoken Sci-Fi Movie Plot Points

9. Animals Are More Important To Humans Now - Children Of Men

Children Of Men
Universal

Children of Men takes place in a dystopian near-future where 20 years of human infertility have brought humanity to the brink of extinction.

In the film's opening scene, we see protagonist Theo (Clive Owen) watching a news report in London about the death of the world's youngest person, Baby Diego (Juan Gabriel Yacuzzi), shortly before a bomb explodes.

But if you pay attention to Theo's surroundings seconds before the explosion, there's a fascinating environmental cue which subtly hints at the changed nature of this baby-less world.

On a passing bus, we see an advert for a "spring collection" of expensive clothing for dogs, seeming to suggest that in the absence of children, humanity has elevated the place of animals significantly.

In our present reality the prospect of fanciful animal clothing being advertised on the side of a bus sounds ridiculous, but in a world where children don't exist and priorities have consequently shifted, it makes sense that animals would fill the void of importance.

As world-building in sci-fi movies goes, this is low-key incredible, and actually adapted from P. D. James' original novel, which goes even further to have humans pushing newborn animals around in prams and dressing them in children's clothing.

Contributor
Contributor

Stay at home dad who spends as much time teaching his kids the merits of Martin Scorsese as possible (against the missus' wishes). General video game, TV and film nut. Occasional sports fan. Full time loon.