Reviews of Babylon A.D.

This is no Babylon.

Posted : 2 months ago on 7 October 2009 04:34 (A review of Babylon A.D.)

''Oh, you're a disgrace to the profession. You're not a mercenary, you're a fucking terrorist. You need two things to live in this business, your balls and your word. You don't have either! You know the difference between you and me, Karl? I still got both.''

Veteran-turned-mercenary Toorop takes the high-risk job of escorting a woman from Russia to America. Little does he know that she is host to an organism that a cult wants to harvest in order to produce a genetically modified Messiah.

Vin Diesel: Toorop

Babylon A.D., the story of Toorop, a veteran-turned-mercenary who takes the job of escorting a woman named Aurora from Central Asia to New York, stays fresh and witty in its first hour. What Toorop thinks is an ordinarily dangerous mission soon becomes much more when he discovers that his guest is carrying twin babies, thought to be the next Messiah figures. The movie begins frantically and the first hour is interesting — one can only help but admit there is little chance of a blockbuster after hearing zero publicity. All preconceived notions aside, there are actually quite a few great turns at its opening, including a border-crossing scene equaling intensity with any action film. Needless to say, after the 40 minutes my hopes were exceptional.

The movie could have got one of two ways, really. Either it stayed true to its first hour – gritty, surprising evil marked by mysterious characters or get lazy and forever be lost to theatrical mediocrity. Unfortunately, it was the latter. What started out great in this production failure ultimately pandered its way to murky depths of boredom.

The movie ended in the direct opposite way it began. We were met with intrigue and let out with unbelievability. We were ushered in with mystery and exited with apathy. Nothing kept me thinking, nothing kept me caring. The movie ended in a lump of lazy, backward thinking – as if we cared what happened to the babies? The last scene of the film was about as entertaining as watching mould grow on a piece of bread. Standing outside some house, Toorop held the hands of two very different looking children, in an act of true love, and a commitment to raise the children on his own. All this coming from a man whom we'd grown to love by seeing him throw innocent people from a vessel he was trying to board out of self preservation. Apparently Toorop turned nice in a flicker of a moment...who knew?

If I could be blunter, I would. There were many, many things wrong with this film outside of the fact that it was created on the floor of a cutting room. The fight sequences had to be ambiguously edited in order to show the least amount of production error and lack of footage. The characters, although almost brimming with development possibility, were left to hang like a basketball mid-flight, as if we were watching a trilogy without the courtesy of seeing part one and having no hope for part three. It was nearly torturous. Babylon A.D. isn't worth the bother of a sequel, a prequel, or even the time wasted to make this intrepid affair.

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Wait for cable

Posted : 1 year, 1 month ago on 25 October 2008 01:19 (A review of Babylon A.D.)

This is one time when I will have to say that the critics were correct. I went into this one wanting to see an action film. I wasn't disappointed in that respect, but the story that went with the action was really weak and not well told. There were a few good fight and chase scenes, but the story was pretty much no where to be found. This is one film that would be worth waiting for cable TV.

Flash

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OK Idea, But Not So Good Presentation

Posted : 1 year, 3 months ago on 1 September 2008 02:15 (A review of Babylon A.D.)

I generally like Vin Diesel's movies and I enjoy Sci-Fi, so I was going to see this regardless of what any reviews said. In the end, it felt like it just barely qualified in being worth seeing even with those things working in its favor.

The trailer looked really cool for this movie, but you still had to wonder why it was being dumped/released during the Labor Day weekend. Now I know.

It wasn't terrible, but it wasn't all that good either. I'm not sure if the story ever grabbed me and really never made that much sense to me. I never really cared what happened to any of the characters. It just seems like an underdeveloped movie that could have been better with more content and better direction.

If you like Diesel and dig Sci-Fi movies, you might be OK with it, but even then, don't expect to be amazed by it. Keep your expectations in check (i.e. low).

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very good , the summer's best sci-fi action movie

Posted : 1 year, 3 months ago on 31 August 2008 03:06 (A review of Babylon A.D.)

the word Babylon which refers to the ancient Mesopotamian city or dynasty before Christ. this movie which refers to A.D. is what the movie kinda seems like life in the future but is split between two powers criminals and every day humans just living in a futuristic world where emigration has taken over and America is the land of rich and wealth where everyone can have a job and make more money here than there(any foreign country) . In this case Russians are emigrating to the states for the same purposes. This is when Toorop (Vin Diesel) comes in, his Job is to transport Aurora(Melanie Thierry)within 6 days to New york. Aurora is to be delivered to the High Priestess(Charlotte Rampling of Immortal). When it is discovered that Aurora is carrying a virus Toorop realizes that he can't bring her to the high priestess or to Gorsky(Gerard Depardieu) that they have to run for their lives. don't miss Babylon A.D. it is one of the summers best movies and an excellent return for Vin Diesel.

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