What Do The Critics Say?

"Stupendous action scenes in a post-apocalyptic Eastern Europe (filmed in pre-apocalyptic Easter Europe, namely the Czech Republic) are directed with gutsy style, there is plenty of big stunt set pieces, and endless energy. Babylon A.D. does what it sets out to do: entertain." Andrew L Urban URBAN CINEFILE "For all its generic qualities, Babylon A.D. is well acted, briskly paced and consistently clear: Like Neil Marshall's Doomsday, it's bare-bones genre entertainment, no better or worse than it ought to be. Based on Maurice G Dantec's dytopian sci-fi novel Babylon Babies." Maitland McDonagh TV GUIDES MOVIE GUIDE "Kassovitz's vision of the future is packed with detail, even if it does go a little overboard on the product placement. Diesel makes a fine lead, even if he's not required to do much in the way of actual acting. Still, there's strong support from both Yeoh and Thierry. Babylon A.D. has its moments and is never less than watchable, but it's ultimately scuppered by a disappointing finale." Matthew Turner VIEWLONDON "The action sequences are brisk and beautiful, the production design is astonishing, and for the most part, Diesel is quite good as our tough as nails savior. There is also a terrific speeder-bike race across the snowy Alps that's a lot of fun." Clint Morris WEBWOMBAT "I like Vin Diesel. And I'm glad to see he's back in action movies instead of junk like "The Pacifier." This is a good character for him and he delivers the goods (pun intended) as a cynical survivor who's simply doing his job. It's good to see him on his way back to action, where he belongs. I like the way the environment is depicted, with survival-level citizens and martial law evident in nearly every scene. There's a dash of "Children of Men" here, and a dollop of "Blade Runner" as well." Linda Cook QUAD CITY TIMES

"Actually, in comparison with other movies in the violent-and-stupid category, Babylon A.D. isn't so bad. Most of these; such as Wanted or Taken; don't have the likes of Charlotte Rampling and Gerard Depardieu in supporting roles. Babylon A.D. also has Michelle Yeoh, an adornment to any cast." Paul Byrnes SYDNEY MORNING HERALD "We're talking about a movie where the lead role is being played by the one and only Vin Diesel. It is the year 2019, with religion and genetic engineering dominating over politics in terms of governing civilised society. Toorop and company bunny-hop across the badlands of the globe; taking in everything from a terrorist attack in downtown Kazakhstan to a plane versus snowmobile skirmish up in the Arctic Circle and a creepy old biddy known as the High Priestess plots world domination from a skyscraper in New York." Leigh Paatsch DAILY TELEGRAPH "There's plenty of action for us to enjoy." OK MAGAZINE "It's not often one gets the chance to say such a thing, but this totally disposable, loud Vin Diesel futuristic crash-bam action film about a foul-mouthed renegade dude who transports a monk girl from Russia to New York amid a flurry of bullets and crashing cars is too short." Jim Schembri THE AGE "Thank goodness that Vin Diesel has turned his back on family films and returned back to what he knows best; a hard edged action thriller with a storyline that actually keeps its audience interested. That is the best part of "Babylon A.D.", while it won’t win any Academy Awards it does what it sets out to do, and that is entertain. Unlike most action-thrillers the characters are far from one-dimensional. While there is nothing ultra special about the acting or special effects in "Babylon A.D", the storyline works well and it will keep you entertained: after all that’s what films are supposed to do." Carmine Pascuzzi MEDIASEARCH

The Inside Story "Babylon A.D." (adapted from the book "Babylon Babies") is an epic action-adventure that takes its protagonists across the world in a journey that could alter the fate of the world. Action movie icon Vin Diesel ("Pitch Black","xXx" & "The Chronicles of Riddick") takes on the role of Toorop, a hardened warrior who is perpetually alert and who sees everything and everyone. Toorop’s arsenal of futuristic weapons includes a satellite phone with an encrypted data communication system; a military GPS, accurate to one-inch; tactical multi-media goggles; and a thermo-electric interactive map. But his most important weapon is a code of ethics, unknown in his profession, and from which he will not veer. "Toorop has a very strong personal code and I was attracted to that part of his character," says 2002 MTV Movie Award winner Diesel (" The Fast and the Furious"). "I think too often people have a perception that just because a character acts immorally that they do not actually have a moral compass, but that is not the case. Toorop lives by his own personal codes of conduct, but allows the lines to blur in order to get his job done. This is a lesson he learned while in the military." While "Babylon A.D." presents scenes of epic action and set pieces, Diesel was drawn primarily to Toorop’s complexities. "I approach each project from the perspective of the character first," Diesel explained. "Here is the story of a guy who is essentially at the end of his rope. He is a war veteran who has both committed and witnessed such horrible atrocities that he has completely given up on life, on love, on hope, and has become a shell. This story at its heart is a drama about this one man’s ability to come to terms with the past and accept the future that is being presented to him." Director and co-screenwriter Mathieu Kassovitz, a noted actor in his own right ("A Self-Made Hero" & "Munich"), cast Diesel because he knew the actor could handle the requisite action duties while adding critical character shadings. "Toorop is a classic anti-hero, but he has ethics and a code. And when you have ethics, it sets you apart from other, less noble, characters. That’s why I chose Vin; he’s an action hero but at the same time he allows us to explore the layers of Toorop through the adventure he undertakes with Rebeka and Aurora." Kassovitz revealed he had long admired Diesel’s performance in his star-making turn as mortally wounded Private Adrian Caparzo in, "Saving Private Ryan", the critically acclaimed film which picked up five Oscars at the 1999 Academy Awards and took $US481,840,909 worldwide at the box-office. "Vin has massive strength, both physically and internally," says the director. "Very few actors have that." Kassovitz and co-screenwriter Eric Besnard adapted from the novel "Babylon Babies" by Maurice G Dantec. "I wanted to make a big action movie that could also represent what’s happening in our society," says Kassovitz. "Dantec’s novel is not filled with action, but I wanted big action in the film. The movie is more inspired by the book than a true adaptation." Kassovitz sets his film against a global stage, hurtling the action from Eastern Europe, across the ocean, through Alaska and Canada, and into the 'promised land' of New York. And what was Dantec’s reaction to his book being turned into a big action film? "He was very open-minded," Kassovitz recalls. "Dantec saw that I was respecting the book’s philosophy, and he was quite curious to see the transformation from book to film." Kassovitz remembers Dantec telling him: "Take my work and do with it what you like. I like your vision and your movies. I trust you till the end." Some of the book-to-film changes were character-based. In Dantec’s novel, Toorop is a teenager, not the hardened and seasoned warrior of the film. The alterations in the character of Sister Rebeka were equally dramatic. Dantec’s Rebeka is sixty years old, short, and French. "When Kassovitz approached me about playing the role," says action star Michelle Yeoh ("The Mummy: Tomb of the Dragon Emperor"), "I looked at him and said, 'Very interesting.' Then I looked in the mirror and thought, When did I become short, dumpy and French?" "Michelle is one of the most beautiful women in the world, a wonderful actor," says Kassovitz, "and I wanted to see a nun who could fight, so I needed an actress who could fight!" "Mathieu knew that Rebeka would be the character to bond Toorop and Aurora, to put that link together," Yeoh notes. "And so he thought, 'Who would protect a young woman like Aurora? Who would be the opposite of a Vin Diesel, and his imposing physical presence? It should be a feisty French nun, someone who could stand up to Vin, physically and mentally.' So that was when the idea came to Mathieu, and lo and behold, I was in the film." Kassovitz cast 2006 Luchon International Film Festival Best Young Actress Mélanie Thierry ("Fête de famille") in the role of Aurora. "Mélanie was radiant," says Kassovitz. "And I said to myself: 'Here we are; she’s Aurora!' I needed a woman who could represent purity. We could think that Mélanie (like Aurora) was something more than human, she has a perfect face and wonderful eyes. She seems like she’s from another world." Lambert Wilson, who played the Merovingian in "The Matrix Reloaded" and "The Matrix Revolutions" was cast as Aurora's father, Dr Darquandier. Noted British actor Mark Strong ("Body of Lies"), was cast as the smuggler Finn, whom Toorop encounters in a Russian refugee camp. Finn helps Toorop, Aurora and Rebeka get passes to board a submarine bound for Alaska: a critical leg in their epic journey to the U.S. 2003 European Film Award winning actress Charlotte Rampling ("Swimming Pool") was cast in the key role of the Noelite High Priestess, who peddles miracles like Aurora, for profit. 2007 Lumiere Award winning actor Gérard Depardieu was cast as Gorsky, the man who assigns Toorop the task of delivering the special package to New York. Kassovitz’s mandate to create big action set pieces was taken to heart by the actors and stunt teams. Headed by world renowned stunt coordinator and 2nd unit director Rob Brown ("Mr. & Mrs. Smith" & "The Day After Tomorrow"), a former world champion professional high diver, "Babylon A.D." features the talents of some of the best international action teams in the industry. The "Belle Parkour Stunt Team" was headed by David Belle, inventor of the discipline known as Parkour, which consists of moving quickly and efficiently in any environment, using only the abilities of the human body. Parkour has been seen in recent high-profile action films like "Casino Royale" and "Live Free or Die Hard". In "Babylon A.D." Belle’s team takes the form to a new level. Noted French action man Alain Figlarz ("The Bourne Identity") headed another major stunt team. Figlarz worked closely with Diesel on the fight scenes. Toorop's fighting skill comes from years of war. Fight coordinator Alain Figlarz, has extensive military training himself." "The challenge for Alain and me was to come up with a style that would be unique to this character, would represent a military fight style, but also the street. In defining his fight style, we wanted to create a look that is consistent with a guy who also uses guns and weaponry easily, but who is adept at hand to hand. In essence his fight style had to feel effective, but not overly choreographed," Diesel explained. The actor also makes special note of the contributions of world renowned K1 fighter Jérôme Le Banner. "Jérôme was incredibly generous in bringing his fight expertise to a scene that was difficult to shoot, because we were filming in a freezing cold glass box for long periods of time, it was very strenuous work." Malaysian born Yeoh, whose journey to martial arts icon started with the "Tomorrow Never Dies", has worked with many top action and stunt people, marveled at the work done by the "Babylon A.D." teams. "The stunts are like a candy store of action art forms," she says. "Each stunt team leader has his own style and commitment, and as someone who’s always appreciated the various martial art forms, I had a great time working with them." Yeoh gave a special mention to David Belle’s perpetually in motion Parkour team. "They’re like bouncy balls, and you can’t grab a hold of thems. To work with this new form of movement was very challenging." One of the film’s biggest action set pieces is a snowmobile chase set in the frozen wastelands of North America (but was actually filmed in Sweden). Vin Diesel, remembering a video he had seen that depicted the high-flying, gravity-defying work of the snowmobile stunt team 'Slednecks', was instrumental in bringing aboard X-Games gold medalist Chris Burandt and record-breaking snowmobile jumper Paul Thacker, both of 'Slednecks', for the massive sequence. On their custom snowmobiles, Burandt, Thacker and the rest of the team did back flips, cliff drops and even ran through fire bomb explosions for the sequence. For a story set on so many far-reaching locations, it will surprise many cinemagoers that most of "Babylon A.D." was filmed in Prague at the recently constructed Barrandov Studio, the largest soundstage in Europe. Barrandov was transformed into a Eastern European war zone, a Russian refugee camp, a submarine and ice floe, and even into New York City. For the most part, Kassovitz utilized practical effects, instead of CGI. "I’m all about the big blockbusters from the '70s and '80s. There’s not a lot of soul in CGI. I didn’t want to make a CGI movie; I wanted to make a movie where you can smell blood and dirt and sweat." Vin Diesel notes that this sense of reality sets the film apart from other science fiction epics. "This sort of setting allows you to think freely about what life could be like in a different time while also giving you a sense of reality, which I believe gives you a bit more creative freedom. In essence, by setting it in the near future, you have an easier time getting your audience to suspend belief for a minute, while you introduce them to a world where the limits have been pushed to the maximum." Diesel is currently filming the fourth installment of "The Fast and the Furious" film series, reprising his role as Dominic Toretto, as well as serving as a producer. Original cast members Paul Walker, Jordana Brewster and Michelle Rodriguez are also reprising their roles from the first film. Diesel recently announced he will star in and direct "Hannibal the Conqueror". He will play the lead role of Hannibal Barca. Synopsis

It is the not too distant future. Thousands of satellites scan, observe and monitor our every move. Much of the planet is a war zone. The rest is a collection of wretched way stations, teeming megalopolises, and vast wastelands punctuated by areas left radioactive from nuclear meltdowns. It is a world made for hardened warriors, one of whom is a mercenary known only as Toorop. Gorsky has given him an assignment. He must smuggle a very special 'package' from a convent in Kazakhstan to New York City. Toorop, his new young charge Aurora and her guardian Sister Rebeka embark on a six thousand mile journey that takes them from Eastern Europe, through a refugee camp in 'New Russia', across the Bering Straight in a pilfered submarine, then through the frozen tundra of Alaska and Canada, and finally to New York. Facing obstacles at every turn, Toorop is tested like never before.

The Verdict "Fans know what to expect when it comes to a Vin Diesel actioner, but even I was surprised by how entertaining "Babylon A.D." was. It's a dark, apocalyptic film set in a world in the future where survival is foremost on everyones mind. The spectacular settings, huge stunts and a massive bombing at a border train station are accompanied by a thumping, well matched soundtrack. "Babylon A.D." is briskly paced and never drags its feet. There's been a lot of controversy with the film which led to director and co-writer Mathieu Kassovitz getting into a slanging match over the studios involvement in the final product. It's of little consequence now that the film is on release. Worth having a look at, "Babylon A.D." provides reasonable value for your box-office bucks. Don't take it too seriously. Suspend belief and enjoy a film that despite all its criticism, manages to hold ones attention and, if you're a fan of the genre, does entertain. 3 1/2 STARS." Crew Bytes "BABYLON A.D." was .......
directed by Mathieu Kassovitz ["Assassins" and "The Hate"]; screenplay by Mathieu Kassovitz ["Métisse" and "The Hate"] and Eric Besnard ["The New Protocol", "Housewarming" and "Le Convoyeur"]; costume design by Fab ["Blueberry", "Les Deux Mondes" and "Dante 01"] and Chattoune ["Taxi", "Crimson Rivers 2: Angels of the Apocalypse" and "Dante 01"]; edited by Benjamin Weill ["Satan" and "Premier Voyage"]; cinematography by 1997 Cannes Film Festival Technical Grand Prize winner Thierry Arbogast ["The Fifth Element", "Woman on Top" and "Arthur and the Invisibles"]; original music by 2006 Park City Film Music Festival Gold Medal winner Atli Örvarsson ["Dead Above Ground", "The Wager" and "Vantage Point"]. Who's Who

Vin Diesel Michelle Yeoh Mélanie Thierry Gérard Depardieu Charlotte Rampling Mark Strong Lambert Wilson Jérôme Le Banner Joel Kirby Souleymane Dicko David Belle Radek Bruna Jan Unger Abraham Belaga Gary Cowan Lemmy Constantine David Gasman Kristyna Kingsley Lou Jenny Filip Matejka Curtis Matthew Robert Polo Drew Smith Jeff Smith Pete Thias Magda Vavrusova

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Toorop Sister Rebeka Aurora Gorsky High Priestess Finn Darquandier Killa Dr Newton Jamal Kid with Tattoos Karl Fight Promoter Assistant to High Priestess Neolite Executive Neolite Marketing Executive Neolite Researcher Twin Girl #1 Twin Girl #2 Young boy on Toorop's Stairs Submarine Captain Border Guard #1 Border Guard #2 Border Guard #3 Neolite MIB Woman in Toorop's Corridor

Run Time 90 minutes Rated M [AUST] Copyright ©2008 - 20th Century Fox Films - All Rights Reserved ©2008 All Rights Reserved - The Movie Pages & Impact Internet Services - Protected by Australian, International, Copyright & Trademark Laws.