Reviewed by Johnny McNair

Fox Home Entertainment– 101 minutes – 2008 – Unrated – 1080p Widescreen 2.35:1 – DTS HD 5.1 Lossless Audio – Digital Copy

The problem with the sci-fi film genre is that for every great one that comes along, you have to suffer through about twenty really, really bad ones. This is the case with Babylon A.D., the latest film starring the mutt-faced brute, Vin Diesel, who is no stranger to the genre. Pitch Black is a good sci-fi action movie, and its sequel, though lame, had its moments, but even Vin Diesel can’t save the future, or this mess of a film. Babylon A.D. wants to be bigger than it is, but can’t climb out of that straight-to-video Dolph Lundgren zone. For those who need their Vin Diesel fix, Babylon A.D. is available on Blu-ray from Fox Home Entertainment, just don’t set your hopes too high.

THE MOVIE

Babylon A.D. takes place in the so-called near future in New Serbia, a garbage pit filled with shady characters who deal in every illegal operation, from guns to drugs, or anything else you can think of. Vin Diesel plays Toorop an American hiding out in this hot spot, as he tries to lay low. Toorop is located by a crime lord named Gorsky , played by Gerard Depardieu in heavy make-up, who offers him a job to escort a young girl named Aurora (Melanie Thierry), out or enemy territory to New York. This mysterious girl lives in a monastery in the outskirts of New Serbia, and travels everywhere with her caretaker Rebeka, played by Michelle Yeoh, who also holds her own secrets. Toorop is just doing the job for the money, but quickly realizes that he’s in over his head as a wave of after wave of mercenaries target them wherever they go, trying to get the girl.

Babylon A.D. is based on the science fiction book by Maurice G. Dantec titled Babylon Babies, but it seems that what was in the book didn’t translate on screen. Basically all you’re left with is one action scene after another, mixed in with some lame story about a woman who holds the key to saving the future. You would think that in a film like this even if the story is lame the action has to be good, but sadly it isn’t. There’s nothing in this film that you haven’t already seen done better in various other films. Diesel, who in his past films showed that he has screen presence, just seems to be phoning it in here. And the voice over used at the beginning of the film seems like a desperate attempt to be like Pitch Black, which also begins with a voice over featuring Diesel’s signature voice.

Directed by Mathieu Kassovitz, Babylon A.D. is mix of every film from the last two decades such as Mad Max Beyond Thunderdome, Blade Runner, Robocop, The Fifth Element, and sadly even Judge Dredd. The one real problem Babylon A.D. is that it’s actually attempting to deliver a message about society, while blowing up anything in site every five minutes. If you’ve got nothing better to do for 100 minutes and not looking for anything that requires you to think, there are worse movies you can see than Babylon A.D., and it might not be so bad of an experience. But if you think that this is a vehicle for Vin Diesel to create a new sci-fi character that will rival Riddick, let the buyer beware.

VIDEO

Luckily the visual quality of Babylon A.D. makes up for its les than thrilling plot, with a full 1080p image housed in a 2.35:1 aspect ratio. If you’ve got a good HDTV you’ll appreciate the movie much more just for eye candy value. Even though the colors are purposely muted to show a grim future, they stand out and maintain detail. Skin tones are also excellent, allowing you to see all the stubble on Diesel’s face. Blacks are rock solid and there’s very little grain to interfere with the images in darker scenes. Overall, this is a win for Blu-ray over DVD.

AUDIO

As with the picture quality, the sound for Babylon A.D. is superb, offering a DTS-HD 5.1 audio mix that is so loud, every bullet fired or explosion that occurs, puts you in the scene. This movie is all about the sound effects because the dialogue is non-memorable, and even the heavy bass in Diesel’s signature voice is wasted. If you have a surround sound set-up, your rear speakers and sub woofer will get a solid workout, but unfortunately all this good sound work is for a mediocre movie.

EXTRAS

The bonus features for Babylon A.D. are basic, with the exception being a second disc that holds a Digital Copy of the film. Nothing here stands out, but it’s a decent amount of stuff.

There are five featurettes that go behind the scenes of the movie all of them adding up to roughly forty-five minutes.

‘Babylon Babies’ has the author of the novel, Maurice G. Dantec, talking about the origin of the book and getting it to the screen.

‘Arctic Escape’ looks at the filming of one of the film’s action sequences.

‘Fit for the screen’ dives into the films stunts and fight sequences.

‘Flight of the Hummers’ gives a look at the car chases featured in the movie.

‘Genesis of Aurora’ is a five minute animated prequel to the movie that explains what led up to the situation that is the basic for Toorop’s adventure.

Via a profile 1.1 enabled Blu-ray players you can utilize the BonusView feature that enables PIP of various behind the scenes footage that can also be seen in the stand-alone featurettes. There is also a serious of mock TV commercials related to the setting of the movie.

And for those who want their Vin Diesel on the go, a Digital Copy is available on a second disc for your portable device.

BOTTOM LINE

Babylon A.D. is fine if your in the mood for some mindless sci-fi action, but if you’re thinking this could be the next Pitch Black, it’s suggested that you look elsewhere. The Blu-ray offers excellent picture and sound quality and a good variety of bonus material that includes a Digital Copy. If you’re a hardcore fan of Vin Diesel and you can pick this one up for under $20 (Don’t pay any higher than that!), then you’ll be set. Otherwise Babylon A.D. is a rental at best.

SCORES (out of 5):

The Movie: 2.0

Video: 4.0

Sound: 4.0

Extras: 3.0

Bottom Line: 2.5