Babylon A.D. (2008)

For some reason I want to like Babylon A.D. I remember it better than it is after I have forgotten what it was like. This review will have big spoilers. If I want to talk about the movie I have to spoil it. Otherwise I could only say it is not that good and it tells about Vin Diesel and Michelle Yeoh taking innocent girl from Eastern Europe to America.

Movie happens in near future. Eastern Europe is war zone with people walking around with assault rifles. Criminals seem to be in control. Vin Diesel is hiding from the law in some small random village when he gets job to take innocent girl from middle of nowhere monastery to America. Michelle Yeoh is girl's guardian.

Later we learn girl is actually religious cult project to give them miracle. She is supposed to give birth to messiah or something like that. Vin Diesel is taking girl to them. Scientist who designed the girl tries to stop this with his own private army. Religious cult has own army and some kind of missile striking possibility. Criminal also has own private army. Makes you wonder why Vin Diesel had to bring the girl alone with Michelle Yeoh through dangerous route. To make everything make less sense fetal messiah gives supernatural powers to girl.

People and groups don't have motivations. Movie explains very little. Almost too little. World could have had interesting stories but nothing has any backstory if it is not directly connected to main story arch. For example we don't get to see genetic engineering anywhere else than in the girl. Borders are controlled but everyone seem to be able to carry assault rifles and have their private armies to do what they want.

Babylon A.D. has interesting idea which is wasted. It puts too much effort on being cool and too little on telling interesting stories. Movie feels more like collection of scenes than interesting story. Many things have almost no build up. We saw scientist's private army without telling who they were earlier in movie. When we met scientist we learned army was his. Scientist is big part of the whole story but we see him for few minutes. During that time he explains what was really going on and dies. Not that others get more backstory or character.