Babylon AD (Uncut DVD Review)

I have nothing for or against Vin Diesel. He usually fills the role of action hero without adding or subtracting from the film. The same was true in Babylon AD.

I missed seeing this movie in theaters and so rented it on DVD this week. For the first 40 minutes it looked like things were going somewhere. Sure, it had some plot points we'd seen before, particularly in "The Fifth Element", but it had enough going for it that I was more than happy to see it through. Too bad the film-makers didn't seem to feel the same way.

This "pre-post-apocalyptic" movie has a few semi-cool action sequences that gave me the feeling we were building up to one or two really fantastic ones. But the coolest special effects shot of the film was the focal point of every trailer for this flick, so it was nothing new when you saw the pseudo "bullet-time" shot at the climax of the film.

I should also say that I use the word "climax" very loosely. After 40 minutes, the action sequences topped out, no longer gaining in intensity, just kinda being there. The movie also spends much of its time building up the mystique of the mysterious female lead, but never really pays off.

A few interesting opportunities to talk about faith and/versus religion present themselves but go nowhere. The antagonists in the film are the overdone "evil yet churchy" theocratic organization, borrowing yet again from Catholic subtext and imagery. I'm no Catholic, but can we find different imagery or religious tradition to base this concept on and then come up with antagonists that are a little more 3-dimension than the usual "We want others to be religious and give us money while we are truly selfish and evil?"

After the "climax", I got the impression that this movie was just about to start into a 3rd act. Some things were explained, but not enough to call it a "payoff".

The main character had just undergone some potentially empowering changes. He was ready to fulfill his mission. Then suddenly Vin starts in with a voice-over where he basically says, "So I went through with my mission and had a great adventure and now I'm done". Roll the credits.
Normally I'd have a little more to say in a review like this, but in addition to its other problems, the movie just wasn't that memorable.

Rated PG-13 for intense sequences of violence and action, language and some sexuality

Quality: 7.0/10

Relevance: 6.5/10