Allan Bowyer

This film is quite foretelling given its release in 2006! First off, I watched this on Netflix on a small screen, so did not take the cinematic thrill ride that reviewers have spoken so highly of. Taking that out of the equation made me focus on story and character development. The premise, that 18 years ago, Earth's fertility rate dropped to zero and the world is in shambles as a consequence, is thought-provoking, but its implications weren't explored to much depth in the film. Instead, we get the tropes of conspiracy theories, "who's the real enemy?", the prescient weirdo, love beset by tragedy - just to name a few - packaged up in a tiresome two-hour chase. Clive Owen and Clare-Hope Ashitey give the most intriguing performances. Clive convincingly portrays the unlikely hero with glimpses into how his character must once have been. Clare-Hope finely walks a delicate line bound by courage, faith, and desperation. The remaining main characters - sorry, Julianne Moore and Michael Caine - left me with nothing.

Implausible, yet not in a fun suspension of disbelief kind of way. You've been warned!

For the first hour and a half (the film is 2h 40'), I scanned the theatre for signs of smoke, which would have meant we could have left early and gotten our money back. My hopes were elevated when I spied a white cloud three rows ahead, but such hopes were quickly "extinguished" when I realised it was someone vaping surreptitiously. The acting was top-notch, but the actors were forced to speak English with Italian accents. Why, oh why? The movie got a bit better at the two-hour mark, but by then it was "too little, too late"

While the acting is good and the series evokes enough suspense to keep you watching, the payoff in the finale is mundane and forced. There are also too many plot lines that go nowhere and in retrospect are just products of some characters' craziness.