Babylon A.D.

 

We just got back from seeing this one. I have two words: SAVE YOURSELF. Don’t see this movie – unless you’re prepared. Which is what I’m going to help you with here…

Babylon A.D. is about a mercenary named Toorop [Vin Diesel] who takes a job to deliver a package from Russia to New York City. The package turns out to be a girl [Mélanie Thierry], and nobody is sure what it is about her, but she’s different… She knows things people who’ve grown up in a convent in Mongolia shouldn’t know. She was raised by one of the sisters [Michelle Yeoh], who is also along for the ride, making sure she gets to where she’s going in one piece. Along the way they have many obstacles, and the journey is long enough that the three characters get to know and trust each other.

The journey itself is great. Lots going on, lots of action… Vin Diesel slides effortlessly back into the role he’s meant to play [in my opinion] – the anti-hero. But the ‘why’ behind the story itself is sketchy at best. This movie goes from an interesting vision of the future wrapped around the characters and their plight to true sci-fi – and for my tastes, not it a good way. I would have liked to have known what year it was, too. They make a reference to ‘back in 2017′, but it was never clear how far in the future this was supposedly taking place. I’m sure they were following the book, but if it were up to me, I’d have simplified some of it and gotten rid of some of the fluff at the end to give this movie a more tight resolution.

I walked out thinking this felt like Children of Men meets Minority report. It had the look and feel of Children of men – a bleak, ugly future where it’s everyone for themselves in Russia and Eastern Europe, where the movie opens, but then there is some really great tech stuff ala Minority Report, that the bad guys had the money to possess, and is just everywhere in North America. You can bet Motorola paid top dollar for placement in this flick – the idea of advertising being everything seems pretty realistic. For that, I did enjoy most of this movie.

For the rest, the acting was really good, the story for the most part was intriguing and there were some really great stunts and plenty of explosions, if you dig that stuff. It did feel slow in parts and convoluted in others. If the ending were better it would have been a 3 1/2 or a 4, but because the ending made us angry… I’d say it’s more a 3 out of 5. If you expect the ending to disappoint, the rest of it is pretty cool and worth seeing – on DVD. If you’re a Vin Diesel fan, or just love explosions, it’s still worth seeing on the big screen.

Add’l Info: Release Date: Aug 29, 2008 • Runtime: 90 minutes • Rated PG-13 for intense sequences of violence and action, language and some sexuality • Photo credit: ©Twentieth Century-Fox Film Corporation via movieweb.com