Steve Kuehl 2009-01-05

7 of 10 people found the following review helpful:

Wow - cannot go anywhere without reading all of the negativity about the production of this film. I'm going to skip reviewing the history here and talk about the BD quality since that is really the saving grace here.

The length of the film is 101 minutes, with the 50 or 60 changes to content (from theatrical to "uncut") listed on tons of sites out there; Most changes revolve around sound editing, narration changes, slightly different ending and edits throughout - but nothing in the range of what will hopefully exist someday (the rumored 3 to 4 hour cut would be preferable).

The sound and picture are worthwhile and test worthy for a BD system. Listening to Quiet Riot (later in the film) and the opening urban music sequence sounded outstanding in DTS. The channel usage through the entire film was mixed so well that even when the film had been edited horribly by Fox - it still managed to blend believably. The visual fx and panoramic shots looked great in 1080 and only showed a few shortcomings - but nothing that detracts from the overall shots. The amount of dark/night shots were actually filmed in such a way that the hidef clarity kept the film believable instead of being muddled. Vin Diesel's pores and the numerous bleak landscapes make for a solid BD presentation, and all of the sound channels were utilized/tested by the end of the film (even small details like the sound mixing of the kids in the slums, used all 3 three left channels separately).

I know this film was butchered and people are hating it EVERYWHERE - but I say give the BD a chance just for the view, and yes - the film has been horribly chopped up and there are gaping sequences of dialogue and story missing. But I can't think of anyone else whose eyes I would want to see (in BD) get that wide while cage fighting a 250 pound muscle man, way to go Vin. Last time I mentioned someone's pitted facial texture in BD I got slammed here on Amazon, but Gerard's facial shots in the movie both scared and scarred me, I hope no other film does his face like that again...egh.

The supplements are not particularly worth much, as I obviously would have liked to see the "truth" exposed in a tell-all docu, but oh well. There are plenty of production clips to give you an idea of how the filming went. The menu sounds/rotating pics play nicely in the store and quite a few people ask about the film because of it. Hope you enjoy a semi-decent scifi as much as is allowed.

Nathan Beauchamp 2008-12-27

18 of 29 people found the following review helpful:

When the director of a film bashes his own creation before its released to the public, you know it's likely terrible. That is exactly the case with BABYLON A.D. whose director Mathieu Kassovitz brutally made fun of the film several times before it hit the big screen. Sadly, I didn't know that when I paid for my ticket. Halfway through I was wishing I was watching reruns of Babylon 5 whose average episode is superior to this movie by a long shot. By the end I was wishing that I could have my money and two hours of my life back.

I've you've seen Children of Men you will immediately be appalled at how much of that much superior film has been 'borrowed,' for this one. In fact, if you want to understand this movie, think of CHILDREN OF MEN. Got it? Now replace the intelligent and believable Clive Owen with Vin Diesel, replace a careful plot and character development with a long series of violent confrontations, and lastly replace an impending sense of doom undercut by the promise of hope with an impending sense of doom undercut by sheer frustration that the movie has not ended yet. That about sums it up.

Distopian science fiction is one of my favorite genres, with films like BLADERUNNER on my all-time greatest list. If there is anything at all to give this film credit for, it is that some of the sets and art direction do capture the 'feel' of a world in duress. Sadly, most of them are also stolen; there is very little that is original, and the scraps that are are unsatisfying.

If this were a book, I would say it isn't worth the paper it's printed on. It's that bad. 0/5 stars.