If you want to feel ever more hopeless about the world, Children of Men is a fine choice, and we have good news – it’s on Amazon Prime Video. Widely regarded as a masterpiece from Alfonso Cuarón, the film portrays mankind in a desperate state due to human infertility.
Now that it’s streaming on Amazon Prime, you can catch up on what is truly one of the best science fiction movies of the last 20 years. Clive Owen stars as Theo Faron, a retired activist who tries to help a pregnant woman flee Britain. Getting out of the country isn’t any easier than getting in due to a fascist regime and numerous other parties who have particular intentions for this mother and child.
Julianne Moore and Michael Caine join Owen in the cast, and their presence gives some warmth to what is now one of the best Amazon Prime movies. One of the best movies this might be, it’s also unrelenting and difficult, especially the tense sequences where Cuarón favours minimal cuts (and for one scene, no cuts at all).
PD James wrote the original novel, and there are some broad differences between the two. Mainly, Cuarón uses the story to look at immigration, and how people moving around gets impacted by global catastrophe.
That’s what makes the best movies based on books special – when they create a narrative that complements and expands on the original. During an interview with SciFi Weekly, Cuarón mentioned that James gave the film her blessing. “She did see the final version, and it is quite different, and she said she is proud to be associated with the film,” he said.
There aren’t many adaptations that can say the same thing. Famously, one of the best horror movies ever made, The Shining, is hated by the original author, Stephen King. Now, you can find out where you land on another classic through Prime Video.
We have lists of the best Amazon Prime horror movies, the best Netflix movies, and the best Disney Plus shows if you’re looking for more streaming choices. Give our guides to Avatar 3 and The Marvels a look if you want your sci-fi a little less serious.