Big time action films are no longer like they used to be. Back in the day we’d have a lot of running around with a bunch of gunshots and people would consider it a top of the line action flick. Nowadays, if the special effects aren’t top notch and we don’t see a giant planet blowing up or some huge car chase then you can consider your action film nothing more then a chick flick. Vin Diesel is an actor that I’ve never really cared for much and just haven’t been drawn to that many of his films because they never interested me. I like action just as much as the next guy, but XXX and Pitch Black just never hit the right buttons for me. Babylon A.D. did grab my attention though and Diesel had a chance to get me to enjoy his work and also try and put forth a present day action winner. But did he do either?
Toorop is a guy that take crap from no one and is not a frills type of guy. He doesn’t need much to live his life the way he wants to, but is not against sticking it to someone if they try to change his ways without his consent. Living in Eastern Europe, Toorop is a misplaced mercenary that merely awaits his next mission and looks to carry it out without many complications. A man named Gorsky just so happens to have his next assignment and it is making sure a young girl named Aurora and her caretaker Rebekah make it from Mongolia to America safely and without incident. Seems simple enough for Toorop, but he is in for a mission like no other and an assignment that will change the course of his life forever. Aurora is no ordinary little girl and shows sever flashes of maturity and intelligence well beyond her means. Toorop quickly learns that his life is in more danger then ever before and must do all he can to keep her safe.
Babylon A.D. does a great job of keeping up with all the requirements of a present day action flick with gun battles, lots of fighting, and a ton of explosions that will keep all “blow’em-up” fans more then pleased. There are some really good battles and even a hell of a good car chase with some hummers that will keep you on the edge of your seat the whole time. What makes Babylon A.D. even better is the deep storyline mixed into the middle of it all which keeps you involved in a lot more then just bombs bursting here and cannons firing there. I was really drawn to the Aurora character and constantly wanted to know more about her and just what she was really all about. She has these secrets inside of her that no-one apparently knows but so many actually do and that is why they want to get at her. That’s a mystery rolled into an action film and it’s A-OK by me.
The biggest problem is that Vin Diesel is in the lead role and he just can’t ever make me believe him as being anything more than a gearhead that will beat you to death if you make fun of his monotone voice. He is boring and just overly annoying because he doesn’t show the emotion and feeling that would come with some of the revelations he learns throughout the film. Some of those things thrown at him would merit shock or confusion or even being in total awe at what just occurred or was revealed yet Diesel stands there as if to say, “It’s cloudy today. Did you notice it was cloudy today?” I mean come on man, get some personality. As the film kept rolling along, I’d hate it and love it and realized that there is a damn good chance it would be more then partially enjoyable if anyone else would be in the role of Toorop.
Ok, virtually anyone else. Sylvester Stallone has more personality then Diesel, but he just wouldn’t fit in here. You all saw Demolition Man. He just doesn’t know how to deal with the future. (He can’t even use the three seashells.)
Babylon A.D. is presented in 2.35:1 Anamorphic Widescreen format and it looks beautiful. Colors are bright when they need to be, which is not very often, and the film has an overcall dull hue to it which comes through looking great.
The film is heard in Dolby Digital 5.1 Surround Sound and it really is fantastic. In fight scenes, you’ll hear every punch and kick. Sound effects of gun blasts, explosions, and snowmobiles sound phenomenal coming from all around you and really puts you into the picture. All dialogue is heard nicely too without serious volume shifts between talking and the musical score.
For those that have it, D-BOX Motion Control Systems are available for this Blu-ray disc.
Babylon Babies – Maurice G. Dantec is the author of “Babylon Babies” which ended up becoming the basis for the film. Dantec introduces himself and the book in English and then switches over to French for most of the rest of the interview. He goes into detail of how his novel went from the pages to the screen and it’s a pretty good watch. (11:05)
Arctic Escape – Stunt coordinator Bob Brown sits down to discuss how some of the stunts were accomplished in the film and he focuses on the arctic scene. Its cool how he brings in a group of guys called “Slednecks” that get on snowmobiles and do all kinds of insane tricks. It’s a pretty cool but short featurette showcasing how insane these guys are more then focusing on making the scene. (11:41)
Fit For The Screen – Bob Brown is back again and tells us all about putting together a fight scene. That’s about it. (7:04)
Flight Of The Hummers – Bob Brown brought in another stunt coordinator, Kenny Bates, to help put together the hummer chase scene. It pretty much breaks apart the car chase scene and shows how everything was worked up from scratch in a very short period of time. (8:00)
Prequel To Babylon A.D.: The Genesis Of Aurora Digital Graphic Novel – This is a really sweet feature that shows a short animated prequel to the film to show you how things got started. It is kind of broken animation with not much movement, but it’s quite gorgeous. I am not going to say too much though and give anything away, but you need to see it. (5:08)
BONUSVIEW: Babylon A.D. Commercials – This is an added feature that can only be viewed with newer Blu-ray players and it shows commercials for the film while watching it. These commercials almost seem homemade and aren’t very long at all.
BONUSVIEW: Scene Evolution – Here is the same type of deal as with the commercials in that you get to watch the filming of scenes in a smaller picture-in-picture box set in the lower right hand corner of your screen. This is actually a very cool feature in that you can watch things as they happen in the film and how they happened on set while shooting.
Deleted Scene – There is only one and it’s nothing too big. (2:32)
Still Galleries
Digital Copy – The second disc in this set is devoted the digital copy of the film that you can load onto your portable devices and take with you.
Trailers – Max Payne, Mirrors, The Happening, Stargate Continuum, The X-Files: I Want To Believe, and Behind Enemy Lines: Colombia (extended inside look)
Could there be a better word to describe Babylon A.D. than mediocre? It’s good but it’s not. It’s awesome but then it’s drab. The excitement is there but then it gets really boring. And all of the negative aspects come from the one big problem with the film and that is the star, Vin Diesel. For a while I almost felt kind of dirty because here was my time spent watching a Diesel-starrer and I liked it and enjoyed it. Then he showed his true colors as the film went on and it became obvious why I’ve liked nothing this side of The Fast and the Furious or The Pacifier. Most of the special features are decent but the best one is the little graphic novel prequel you get with “The Genesis Of Aurora for its really good stuff even though very short. I’ve never read “Babylon Babies,” but am intrigued by what the novel may present to me that was missing in this film adaptation of it with a severely inferior actor.
………………………………………
20th Century Fox presents Babylon A.D.. Directed by: Mathieu Kassovitz. Starring: Vin Diesel, Michelle Yeoh, Melanie Thierry, Lambert Wilson, Mark Strong. Written by: Mathieu Kassovitz & Eric Besnard. Running time: 106 minutes. Rating: Unrated. Released on DVD: January 6, 2009. Available at Amazon.com
