Plot: What’s it about?
Toorop (Vin Diesel) is a brutal mercenary who commands a premium, because he is able to complete assignments few others would even dare to attempt. He has been hired by a man named Gorsky (Gerard Depardieu) not to take out a target, but to safely escort two passengers from Europe to New York. The folks to be transported are a young girl named Aurora (Melanie Thierry) and her guardian, Rebeka (Michelle Yeoh). In exchange for a “no questions asked” agreement, Gorsky will not only provide monetary payment, but a special injection. This injection will allow Toorop to remain within the United States undetected, despite his status as a terrorist by that nation. The trip seems simple enough, especially for someone as skilled as Toorop, but is there more to this mission that he expects?
I didn’t expect much from Babylon A.D., based on Vin Diesel’s involvement and the incredible amount of negative word of mouth the film’s theatrical run generated. But much to my own surprise, the first half or so of Babylon A.D. wasn’t that bad, it also wasn’t that great, but it wasn’t bad. Diesel is, as always, a poor performer when called upon to deliver lines, but his persona fits in well here, so he isn’t too much of a detraction. The main detraction is the writing, which starts off mediocre and then takes a quick turn into terrible, with no speed limit. The director blames Fox’s post-production edits, but even in this unrated version, the writing and direction come off half baked at best. The plot falls apart and even in the few scenes that work, the writing is paper thin at best. In short, Babylon A.D. is one you can skip. I wouldn’t even burn rental money on this one, as a mediocre first half devolves into a piss poor second half, so just keep your cash on this one.
Video: How does it look?
Babylon A.D. is presented in 2.35:1 anamorphic widescreen. This is a decent looking transfer, but the overall quality varies from segment to segment. Some scenes look crisp and film-like, with impressive depth, while others are bogged down by excessive grain and softness. Some of that shift would seem to be intentional, to showcase two contrasting visual tones, but even so, the visuals suffer in some scenes. That leaves us with a sometimes remarkable, but quite inconsistent transfer that falls in the middle of the road section of the scale.
Audio: How does it sound?
This DTS HD 5.1 option is good, but doesn’t have much chance to earn its keep. The action scenes in this movie are not as frequent as you might think, so while those scenes sound great, they’re not common. But when the action is present, the surrounds light up and provide an active, immersive soundscape. The majority of the film is more reserved and while it could, the soundtrack doesn’t provide much ambient presence. So the non action scenes come off as rather dull, in terms of audio. The music is loud however, which adds some presence. This disc also includes a French language track, as well as subtitles in French, Spanish, Korean, Cantonese, and Mandarin.
Supplements: What are the extras?
This release includes five brief featurettes, a deleted scene, and a second disc with a digital copy of Babylon A.D., to use on your portable device of choice.
