http://hddvd.highdefdigest.com/childrenofmen.html

They have the AR labeled wrong.

They gave the movie itself 5 out of 5! :) Video and audio are a solid 4 out of 5:

"Presented in 1080p utilizing the VC-1 codec, 'Children of Men' is a beautiful transfer in spite of its washed out palette and dreary aesthetic. Colors pop vibrantly when they appear amidst the grays, skintones are dead on, black levels are deep, and the contrast levels are excellent. A moderate amount of grain allows the picture to retain a filmic feel and fine object detail is well rendered and sharp. Clothing texture, skin, stubble, and natural elements like leaves on the road are crisp and realistic. Shadow delineation is revealing, cityscapes look authentic, and the film's background CG elements are no less convincing in high-def than they were in the theater....

The Dolby Digital Plus 5.1 track on this HD DVD is also impressive. The top tier sound design doesn't hurt of course, but this mix is technically powerful, as well. Dialogue is crisp and well prioritized, bass tones are resonant, and the entire soundfield is packed with ambiance. Crowd noise and television/radio chatter is present in the background and across the soundscape in every speaker. This effect is immersive and really lends itself to crafting the illusion of a real world in your home theater...

Simply put, I adore 'Children of Men,' Alfonso Cuaron's bleak vision of mankind's self-destructive nature and the absolute necessity of hope. I tend to be harsher when evaluating the video and audio packages of films I enjoy, so I was excited to find a great visual transfer and an impressive sound mix. The supplements could've used more meat, but the extras provided are entertaining for the most part, and we even get an HD exclusive "U-Control" track. As a fan of this film, I'd pick it up in a heart beat. For everyone else, it's certainly worth a try -- just don't expect answers to all of your questions."

Excellent review.

Just got mine in the post! :D I can hardly wait!

I didn't really see any of the flaws he mentioned. I might have to rewatch some of those scenes. The video is amazing. This is one of the best transfers that i've seen on HD DVD.

I'd give it a 5/5.

The fact that at the bottom of the review he states "i tend to rate movies i like harder" makes me really uneasy about his future reviews. All in all, im glad it got good reviews ... loved the movie.

They have the AR labeled wrong.

whats the correct AR?

Can't wait to get mine.

Same here, only nabbed Happy Feet yesterday, theres no race, figured I'd wait and see what the verdict was on this and its looking pretty damn good, only the usual suspects saying it's s#it (as expected from them - it's an HD-DVD exclusive that's selling well and receiving great reviews, so it must suck, lol)...think I'll swing by and pick it up today. :)

whats the correct AR?

1.85:1.

Got mine today. Great movie cant wait to see it in HD as the theatre I saw it at sucked.

Got mine today. Great movie cant wait to see it in HD as the theatre I saw it at sucked.

Same here, only nabbed Happy Feet yesterday, theres no race, figured I'd wait and see what the verdict was on this and its looking pretty damn good, only the usual suspects saying it's s#it (as expected from them - it's an HD-DVD exclusive that's selling well and receiving great reviews, so it must suck, lol)...think I'll swing by and pick it up today. :)

It's on Bluray too, but the HD-DVD version has better audio.

It's on Bluray too, but the HD-DVD version has better audio.
Good catch, I could have worded that better, but I was referring to CoM. =)

I originally posted this on another thread.

I thought CoM was great and the premise was good but two things set me off. First if I knew Julian Moore was in it I wouldn't have purchased it. It just seems like every movie she is in outside boogey nights has some Greenpeace crap thrown in like it was part of her agreement to do the films. True this was one movie where some of that belonged. But half that board with all the articles was filled with Bush and Iraq articles. It just pulled me up because A.) I am probably the only person who thinks that we should have gone and stills thinks we should stay. B) In this story line it happened 20 years ago but all of the articles looked fresh and you would think that the last 20 years would be ten times more important then us having some troops in a hostile area where they get hit by car bombs that times have shown would go off anyways.C.) it didn't seem to really apply to the plot that much.

With the Hatred I have for her and the bashing us over the head in the beginning basically saying that we are f'ing up right now, while none of it plays any part to what is happening now, just really took me out of the movie. How many people would celebrate her death scene in the movie. I did. But it wasn't supposed ot be a death to celebrate. I even rewound it to see it again. It really took me almost another hour really get back into the story and to care about the characters and 10 minutes later it was over.

I will keep my HD-DVD but its not one I would rewatch sometime soon, where another character based movie, Babel will be re-watched on a regular basis.

IMO it is a 5/5 tier 0 transfer. It lacks the polish of Kong, but for what the film is (how it was shot) it is flawless. I'd give the audio a 4.5.

And of course the movie is a 6/5.

if this was a good movie ,it's time to burn my HTR.

...But half that board with all the articles was filled with Bush and Iraq articles. It just pulled me up because A.) I am probably the only person who thinks that we should have gone and stills thinks we should stay. B) In this story line it happened 20 years ago but all of the articles looked fresh and you would think that the last 20 years would be ten times more important then us having some troops in a hostile area where they get hit by car bombs that times have shown would go off anyways.C.) it didn't seem to really apply to the plot that much.
Interesting. And I agree with you regarding Iraq. I'd like to see Obsession (http://www.obsessionthemovie.com/) released on HD DVD. Mesmerizing and life-changing documentary, but that's a whole other forum...

Well, now, thanks for putting a spoiler in your post Weasel..........thanks a bunch.

It was one thing wading through your political views but with over 1200 posts surely you can recognize a major spoiler to a major new release.

Please edit your post ASAP to hide that info.

Argh.........

I have my copy popped in the player while I read the review......waited to see this in HD-DVD even though a theater close by is still playing it!

Well, now, thanks for putting a spoiler in your post Weasel..........thanks a bunch.

It was one thing wading through your political views but with over 1200 posts surely you can recognize a major spoiler to a major new release.

Please edit your post ASAP to hide that info.

Argh.........

oh Damn, Sorry, if it helps I will edit it and tell you it happens decently early. Usually I am really careful but I hate her that much.

if this was a good movie ,it's time to burn my HTR.

This is an excellent movie, but instead of burning your stuff, I'll take it.

I was really disappointed that the movie didn't make more money at the box office. This is exactly the type of movie that I enjoy and if it's not profitable, the studios won't finance others like it. No, I don't want every picture to be set in the near-future and have dystopian overtones, but it's worlds away from the normal crap that's jammed down our throats.

The world can keep getting fed garbage like Crank as long as I can still have movies like CoM. ;)

This is an excellent movie, but instead of burning your stuff, I'll take it.

I was really disappointed that the movie didn't make more money at the box office. This is exactly the type of movie that I enjoy and if it's not profitable, the studios won't finance others like it. No, I don't want every picture to be set in the near-future and have dystopian overtones, but it's worlds away from the normal crap that's jammed down our throats.

The world can keep getting fed garbage like Crank as long as I can still have movies like CoM. ;)

Hey I loved Crank for different reasons, its the Ultimate mans movie, non stop thoughtless action that worked out perfectly if you asked me. People can actually sit down and enjoy both kinds of movies man. My biggest problems with CoM has nothing to do with plot, the acting (just a certain actress), or how it was presented for the most part, I just had problems with the political undertones referring to current days events which this movie and the director pretty much said had no impact on the world as it is and therefore had no place.

Edit:
I am going to leave this up but it just occurred to me (why only just now) that I am really close to setting grounds for a Political debate that me or no once else but maybe a troll really wants to see, so this is the last I am going to say about it. I would like to re-iterate that my opinion of the movie isn't affected by the statements made by those earlier parts of the movie, but my belief that they really didn't belong there because it didn't really have much to do with the movie.

I wouldn't even have heard of this movie were it not for Rotten Tomatoes. Excellent cinematography. Felt like a videogame, but in a totally awesome and surreal way.

Thats because Universal gave it absolutely zero marketing:

http://former.imdb.com/news/sb/2007-01-09

"held in higher regard by critics and audiences than it was by Universal, the studio that released it"

"Universal had been treating the movie like a communicable disease."

"an orphaned masterpiece"
Universal pulled the same crap with spielberg's "Munich" which lead to their seperation.

For dreamworks? I thought it was because Universal didn't want to follow through on the handshake deal of the sale and Parmount stepped in and offered more.

"..."..Negotiations began with Universal more than a year ago, when Geffen sat down with one of his best friends, Ron Meyer, president of Universal Studios. A sale to Universal made sense for both sides, and Hollywood insiders as well as Wall Street observers fully expected a deal.

Spielberg has longstanding personal ties to Universal, the studio that gave him his first break as a young director when he made such blockbuster hits as "Jaws," "E.T." and "Jurassic Park." His production company, Amblin, is based on the Universal studio lot, where he has a contract to remain through 2010.

Indeed, Geffen said he and Spielberg favored making a deal with Universal. Geffen added, "Steven's instructions were: 'If it is possible to make a deal with Universal, make a deal."'

In July, DreamWorks and Universal agreed to a period of exclusive negotiations, and a tentative deal was struck for Universal to acquire DreamWorks for $1.5 billion, with about $900 million of that sum going to pay DreamWorks' principal executives and investors - $125 million more than the deal that was ultimately struck.

But the talks broke off two months later when Universal lowered its bid to $1.4 billion after the poor performance of some DreamWorks films, principally the big-budget summer thriller, "The Island," and the romantic comedy "Just Like Heaven." Geffen said the chairman of NBC Universal, Bob Wright, had made a handshake deal for the $1.5 billion, and then "reneged."

Feelings were bruised, but at the time, Universal was the only bidder for DreamWorks. Paramount had started to negotiate, but when Grey and Tom Freston, the co-president of Viacom, brought the proposal to the Viacom board of directors, they were told the deal was too expensive and was poorly timed because Viacom was in the process of splitting into two companies, Viacom and CBS.

Rather than abandoning the deal, Grey took a different message from that meeting. He felt the board favored the deal if he could overcome the obstacle of the price. When Grey learned that Universal had not closed its bid for DreamWorks by late November, he sounded out several private equity firms about the prospect of helping to finance the DreamWorks purchase. When he secured interest from a number of firms, he went back to Geffen to see if a deal were still possible.

On Dec. 2, Geffen called Meyer and told him another bidder was in the game. During the next week, Meyer waited for a response from GE's chairman and chief executive, Jeffrey Immelt. None was forthcoming.

On Thursday, Viacom's board met in New York and approved the purchase of DreamWorks. Grey and Freston flew through the night on a private jet to bring the contracts to the DreamWorks principals.

All that remained was for Spielberg, the powerhouse director with longstanding affection for Universal, to get comfortable with the deal and his new patrons. That took place on Friday morning at his home.

But before signing the contracts with Grey and Freston, Geffen called his friend Meyer. He would still make the deal with NBC Universal, he told Meyer, if General Electric would produce a check for $100 million as a good faith deposit on the purchase.

It was not to be. "They said, 'We couldn't get a deal done today under any circumstances,"' Geffen recalled. "That was the end. We knew they couldn't get it done in a day. They couldn't get anything done in a day..."

Hey I loved Crank for different reasons, its the Ultimate mans movie, non stop thoughtless action that worked out perfectly if you asked me. People can actually sit down and enjoy both kinds of movies man. My biggest problems with CoM has nothing to do with plot, the acting (just a certain actress), or how it was presented for the most part, I just had problems with the political undertones referring to current days events which this movie and the director pretty much said had no impact on the world as it is and therefore had no place.

Edit:
I am going to leave this up but it just occurred to me (why only just now) that I am really close to setting grounds for a Political debate that me or no once else but maybe a troll really wants to see, so this is the last I am going to say about it. I would like to re-iterate that my opinion of the movie isn't affected by the statements made by those earlier parts of the movie, but my belief that they really didn't belong there because it didn't really have much to do with the movie.

Maybe it would be best to just review PQ and AQ in the software thread and do other types of review ( political, this movie sucked etc. ) elsewhere. There are other places in AVS for this kind of reviewing. Just my two cents. ;)

I should have mine tomorrow from amazon. It was a blind buy, but based on the reviews, I can't wait to watch it.

if this was a good movie ,it's time to burn my HTR.

Oh my God, are you kidding? This was one of the best movies of 2006 and maybe in the last 5 years.

Maybe it would be best to just review PQ and AQ in the software thread and do other types of review ( political, this movie sucked etc. ) elsewhere. There are other places in AVS for this kind of reviewing. Just my two cents. ;)

Why I am sure other people here on AVS are interested in our opinions of the movie and I am sure there is some people who are bugged by the same things I am. I am sure their are people who are not just interested in how it looks but how it is accepted as a movie.

I thought this was a well made movie. I like these sorts of movies since it makes one think. I for one am not offended by movies that challenge my view points. I am sure this movie like V4 Vendetta will be uncomfortable for some - the Rush Limbaugh and Bill O Reilly fans would probably consider thais a left wing wacko indulgence (which in fact it is not, or at least didn't appear that way to me). However, for me watching the story unfold was like reading a good book...I was watching with my wife and we got really engrossed in the plot and had a nice discussion afterwards about what we thought the film maker was trying to say :) This is one movie I know I enjoyed more at home than I would have in a theatre. I agree with the poster who said it was one of the best movies of 2006.

I am glad I got this one.

whether or not you liked the politics, they are hardly trivial to the plot.. in fact it was the whole point OF the plot. The point of the movie was that our fear driven society allows this sorts of things to be considered tollerable. Its not really a futuristic movie, its set in a metareality as the director sees it.. taking current world problems and turning them up to 11 if you will.

The infertility of mankind was an allegory for us driving ourselves towards an untenable future....

Which is why hope was found in a boat.. ungrounded and unchained to a country.. the ultimate realization that we are all the same and only through cooperation with people of all countries, creeds, etc. will we survive as a specicies

Im not saying the filmmaker is right or wrong, but the political undertones were hardly frivolous.

whether or not you liked the politics, they are hardly trivial to the plot.. in fact it was the whole point OF the plot. The point of the movie was that our fear driven society allows this sorts of things to be considered tollerable. Its not really a futuristic movie, its set in a metareality as the director sees it.. taking current world problems and turning them up to 11 if you will.

The infertility of mankind was an allegory for us driving ourselves towards an untenable future....

Which is why hope was found in a boat.. ungrounded and unchained to a country.. the ultimate realization that we are all the same and only through cooperation with people of all countries, creeds, etc. will we survive as a specicies

Im not saying the filmmaker is right or wrong, but the political undertones were hardly frivolous.

I guess you kind of hit what I didn't like about this movie. I loved the idea of the movie and I thought it was mostly well done. but it was that underlying meaning that came off in several spots has practically shoving it down our faces. I guess I got what was coming to me because I thought it was sci-fi drama and not a political piece with a futuristic back drop.

I'll grant you that is how it was advertised.. which was misleading.

I think most people were expecting Minority Report or Blade Runner and wound up with 1984.

I'll grant you that is how it was advertised.. which was misleading.

I think most people were expecting Minority Report or Blade Runner and wound up with 1984.

Or maybe V for Vendetta.

Ummm...software CoM issue. I picked mine up on new movie Tuesday, along with Happy Feet for my daughter. Anyway, Happy Feet played fine Tuesaday night, but CoM (as it seems to be called) gave me a "cannot read disc" MSG on my HD-A2 WTF!!!??? I was pi$$ed, as I was dying to watch it.

The HD-A2 even gave some 8 digit error code, after opening, closing, opening the tray. I didn't right it down, as I was cursing while my wife was yelling at my daughter (toddler) to be patient while daddy's new, expensive, slow to boot up DVD player gets going...

It seems that powering it off (standby) and then cleaning the shards of plastic off the disc (I assume from the manufacturing process), and then turning the power back on (blue light) did the trick. Of course I couldn't watch but 1-2 chapters with a toddler, but god help me if CoM gives me any read issues tonight!!! >:] Errgghh!

BTW, nice to meet you all...my first day here looking up this issue.

A.) I am probably the only person who thinks that we should have gone and stills thinks we should stay. .

I don't think you're the only one. I too believe a valid case can be made for this point of view. It is our duty to demand a fair and balanced media (really) and politicians honest if we want a free and open society. JMHO. Propaganda is not reality.

Now back to the original program :)