Babylon A.D.

No, this really is not it. Even though I really like Vin Diesel, this film simply didn't turn out well. The actors have terrible roles here, which could still be overlooked if it were a bit funny, but the film takes itself incredibly seriously and instead of offering the expected action spectacle, it offers a pseudo-intelligent, philosophical script that doesn't work because it doesn't say anything. (06/24/2016)

It's nice that in Babylon you can feel the European touch of director Mathieu Kassovitz, especially, the opening scenes of a heavily bombed Southern Europe are cool. But as the story moves west, it gets worse and worse. The action is too far-fetched, even though Vin Diesel delivers cool lines – it's not difficult for him with his charisma – but I am not entertained by him as an indestructible machine. The plot is also bad, leading to a tragic and meaningless ending. The incredibly choreographed cage fight and a few technically well-executed skirmishes guarantee to draw you out of lethargy, but it doesn't save the whole thing from being a mediocre result. (01/29/2009)

That was pretty crazy, especially the ending. Okay, somehow we got through Russia, Canada and presto change-o to the USA, the promised land where everyone wants you for themselves. The beginning was still kind of going, but then it got pretty scary. We don't really learn anything, nothing gets cleared up. It's a shame, because it definitely had some potential, but it was sunk to the bottom of Lake Baikal. I probably should have watched the unedited version. (08/09/2009)

Children of Men, with an IQ lowered to the level of xXx. If you found Cuarón’s work too clever and technically inventive and you felt disappointed that Clive Owen didn’t shoot anything over the entire course of the movie, Kassovitz and Diesel will make it up to you. This is the crème de la crème of apocalyptic sci-fi B-movie trash (like Ultraviolet, Soldier, etc.), worthy of a solid two stars. (01/26/2009)

The decent subject matter, the charismatic Diesel, and the excellent action are all buried by an idiotic script, for which concepts like character motivation, meaningful dialogue, or plot continuity are completely unknown. It would have made for a decent post-apocalyptic PC shooter, but this film is a case of someone letting someone else mess with their craft more than they should have. At least the final ten minutes are clear evidence of incompetent intervention in the final form of the film. The three-hour version potentially deserves four stars. (10/25/2008)