Vin Diesel muscles his way from Eastern Europe to New York City in this post-apocalyptic thriller. The actor plays a mercenary who must take a package west in the midst of a crumbling world, but the package is more than it appears. French director Mathieu Kassovitz (LA HAINE, GOTHIKA) helms this film based on the novel BABYLON BABIES by Maurice G. Dantec.

Babylon A.D. is a gritty sci-fi/action film that tried to break new ground in the genre, but felt a little too long and too familiar. Vin Diesel combines aspects of his XXX and Riddick characters for a film that offers lots of action, but features a plot that gets too confusing by the time the credits roll.

Based on the book Babylon Babies by Maurice Georges Dantec, the film was directed by Mathieu Kassovitz – who helped pen the screenplay with Joseph Simas. It stars Diesel, Michelle Yeoh, Gerard Depardieu, Melanie Thierry, and Charlotte Rampling.

At the beginning of the film, it seems the plot is going to be pretty straight forward and familiar. Set in a gritty and depressing future, mercenary Toorop (Diesel) is living in Russia because he can’t get back into the U.S., and is staying alive by his skills with a gun. He accepts a job from a Russian mobster named Gorsky (a wasted Depardieu) to escort a young woman known as Aurora (Mélanie Thierry) to New York.

Things get bumpy quick as Toorop is also saddled with Noelite Convent nun Sister Rebeka (Yeoh) who demands to go with Aurora as her protector. As the group journeys to New York (with stops in Russian slums and the Canadian wilderness) Rebeka turns out to be an asset thanks to her martial arts skills.

Toorop also begins to grow fond of his cargo, and starts to question if he should allow Aurora to be turned over to the Noelite Convent and its leader High Priestess (Rampling). After a long journey and a big shootout in New York, you think the film is finished, but it is just getting started. Toorop (who gets a tad banged up in the shootout) finds out he has more to do to save Aurora, and help take down the High Priestess and the Noelite Covent.

There is more depth to the plot, but by the time the credits rolled on the film I was too confused to really know what was happening on the screen. Aurora goes from being a “special” person to a possible germ bomb to a human computer to a baby incubator. I haven’t read the book so I am not sure how close the movie follows the book’s plot. I have read there was a big fallout with the director (who worked on the project for a long time) and the film – which is never a good sign. Kassovitz was reportedly not happy with the finished film.

Although the plot felt a bit much and the film ran a little too long, I did enjoy Babylon A.D. I liked the gritty feel of the future and thought Kassovitz and company did a good job mixing up the action sequences with some of the heavier storyline points. The big action sequences keep you from getting bored with the film and from scratching your head too much over the plot.

Diesel is stiff in the movie, but seems comfortable in the role. It is a familiar performance, and I found myself thinking “didn’t he do the exact same thing in XXX or Chronicles of Riddick.” He doesn’t do a bad job in the film, but he isn’t really flexing his acting muscles much. It is clear Diesel likes the sci-fi genre, and he is a perfect fit for this kind of film and role.

I really enjoyed Yeoh’s performance and wished she could have been given more time on screen. She proves she still has the chops to hang with the big boys. The action sequences involving Yeoh were fast paced and featured the kind of kicks and moves you expect out of the actress.

My biggest problem with the film was the winding plot – which never seemed to fully explain anything. Or if it did, I missed it despite watching the movie twice. The film has a really large scope and it felt like Kassovitz tried to cram too much into the movie. Characters are never fully explained while some stars like Rampling and Depardieu don’t have enough time to matter.

While parts of the movie might be confusing, Babylon A.D. looks great on Blu-ray. The film has a gritty quality to it with a bleak future that comes across through the Blu-ray’s 1080p picture – such as the way the Russian scenes have a grain and dirt feel to them while New York feels glossy and clear.

The Blu-ray comes loaded with special features which take you into the making of the film and help explain the story some. There is an 11 minute interview with Maurice Georges Dantec about the story. The features also include a look at the shooting of the “Arctic Escape” scenes and other features on the film’s big stunts. There is also a 5 minute video comic that serves as a prequel to the movie. The Blu-ray also includes a digital copy of the film for download.

Babylon A.D. was a decent sci-fi film that seemed to be trying to be an epic sci-fi experience. The movie holds your interest from start to finish, but gets bogged down by its own story and the limited performances of its cast.

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