Rent Babylon A.D. on Amazon Video (paid link) // Buy the Novel Babylon Babies
Written by: Maurice G. Dantec (novel), Mathieu Kassovitz (screenplay) & Éric Besnard (scenario and dialogue), Joseph Simas (co-screenplay)
Directed by: Mathieu Kassovitz
Starring: Vin Diesel, Michelle Yeoh, Mélanie Thierry, Gérard Depardieu, Charlotte Rampling, Mark Strong
Rated: PG-13
Watch the trailer
Plot
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.
Verdict
This starts out as a fairly standard sci-fi action movie, but the plot doesn't know how to pay off the intrigue this attempts to set up. This at no point was going to be great, but it had a chance at above average. The last act flies off the rails. This is devoid of any meaning or point and flounders as it becomes silly. The tactic becomes throw everything in
Skip it.
Review
The first scene is an overly dramatic opening with main character Toorop (Vin Diesel) talking about the way he died. If you cut that scene and start with the second scene of him walking through a dystopian world it's a much better start. Toorop seems like a cookie cutter mercenary with more than a few battle scars and a lack of patience.
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| Vin Diesel plays Hugo Toorop |
He takes on a job to transport a young woman across the country. He doesn't know or care why. It's a job. At least this isn't one more score before he retires. Of course this job is anything but easy. This girl is very important, many people are after her, and Toorop discovers there's something special about Aurora.
The movie is a lot of running, chasing, and fighting. Despite Toorop stating this was just another job, he of course cares for this girl enough to risk his life to protect her. He also gets blown up more than I thought was humanly possible. At a certain point this becomes a question of where does this go. It's been fun despite feeling like I've seen versions of this story before, but we get no indication of what will happen.
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| Michelle Yeoh, Mélanie Thierry, Vin Diesel play Sister Rebeka, Aurora, Toorop |
The movie is Toorop and the girl on the run until the last third where this just gets crazy. Everything is exploding, Toorop gets blown up yet again. This becomes convoluted. While we get an explanation for what makes Aurora unique, it's unlikely you'll care. This movie implodes with a lot of explanation and some unnecessary details. It's a lackluster conclusion.
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