i wasn't paying attention closely enough, but i read and was told by teh girl that those children were in deed wearing different clothing at the end. as far as their ages at the end, i didn't notice/register a difference, but do we know for sure that all that shit went down years ago, instead of just months ago? that fact by itself doesn't mean much.
i haven't seen shutter island, but i hate those "it was all a dream" interpretations...they are the worst, unless the film leaves no doubt that this is the case. i prefer to take a simpler approach and take things at face value (in this case, that the ending is legitimate reality) unless there's some bit of information consistent with the film's own internal logic which makes this most basic or obvious interpretation illogical. i don't see anything definitively inconsistent with the possibility that the ending is "real", as opposed to more dream life, but i'm sure there's stuff i'm forgetting.
i found the movie interesting or engaging enough. i liked the look and tone, even the fashion or style (nice suits, no homo), of the movie. however, there is no stand-out acting or dialogue that i remember, but the brit dude played a cool character. a few interesting visuals...i would have liked more of these. the whole thing was pretty fucking ambitious, to keep multiple timeframes up in the air and make it coherent.
all in all, there's no greatness in this film. a great film has to have a compelling story that speaks to you, and it has to have an emotional gravity, along with some great lines, scenes, and performances that stay with you for the long haul.
i'm often curious about a movie's IMDB score, but hey, that score is ridiculous.