Babylon A.D.

Starring: Vin Diesel, Michelle Yeoh, Melanie Thierry, Lambert Wilson, Mark Strong
Directed by: Mathieu Kassovitz
Rating: PG-13
Genre: Action, Adventure, Science Fiction
2008

Times Seen:
Tim: 1

Summary: A mercenary (Vin Diesel) is hired to transport a mysterious woman (Melanie Thierry) and her guardian (Michelle Yeoh) to America. As they travel across Europe, they are hunted by mysterious forces, bent on abducting the girl from his care.

Review:

Tim: Babylon A.D. is really one of those movies that you want to like- Vin Diesel in a futuristic thriller, as a coldblooded killer with a heart of gold. Sure, it's not exactly original, but it should be enjoyable, right? Sadly, this movie is about as bad as you would expect. It is occasionally confusing, features some poor acting, a nearly countless amount of cliches, and sadly is not nearly as entertaining or effective as it needs to be. This is lackluster movie.

I am typically a fan of futuristic movies. I like these types of films, but only when they are actually good. Sadly, this film does not fit that criteria. On the one hand, it is a pretty interesting story. We are generally involved (somewhat) as we wonder what is so special about this girl Vin Diesel is transporting. We get a few hints throughout the movie, seeming to suggest some world-changing revelation. When we do finally find out the truth, it is a bit anticlimatic. It doesn't help that the movie stumbles over the explanation, or that it isn't particularly exciting anyway. This is a major source of disappointment.

The cast offers a little, but not a whole lot. Vin Diesel is definitely the right choice for a role like this, but he doesn't give a great performance. There are a few moments where is acting is quite suspect, and he more or less seems uninspired throughout the movie. He just kind of plods along in a completely forgettable fashion. I liked the classy casting of Michelle Yeoh, and she does have a few good moments. I also liked Melanie Thierry in this movie, although she gives a bit of an odd performance. I wouldn't say she was bad, but I wasn't completely wowed by her, either. The best moments of the film are when Diesel, Yeoh, and Thierry interact with each other. They have a few very good moments together, but these are few and far between.

Part of this film's problem is that it has too small a budget and oftentimes feels a bit cheap. Director Mathieu Kassovitz makes the same mistake so many action movie directors do- he focuses so close up on the action scenes that they are lost on us- we never know what is happened, just that fists and bodies are flying all around. These make the hand-to-hand combat scenes weak. There are a few explosions, but the budget was too small for these to be very effective. Then, you have some potentially exciting moments which just come across as over-the-top and hard to believe. This makes very little in this film actually strong or enjoyable.

I was looking forward to seeing Babylon A.D., although I had some reservations. Sadly, this film was even worse than I expected. There is just not enough here to make a very convincing or enjoyable movie. I wanted to like this movie, but Kassovitz, Diesel, and company made that nearly impossible.



Rating 1-10
Tim's Rating: 5.5



If You Enjoyed This Movie, We Recommend: XXX, The Fast and the Furious, Pitch Black, The Chronicles of Riddick