tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12380553.post648452714159297637..comments2024-03-29T04:57:26.162-04:00Comments on John Kenneth Muir's Reflections on Cult Movies and Classic TV: CULT MOVIE REVIEW: Babylon A.D. (2008)John Kenneth Muirhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15629979615332893780noreply@blogger.comBlogger6125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12380553.post-56906632066992169542011-03-25T09:04:55.826-04:002011-03-25T09:04:55.826-04:00Hi Doc,
Thank you for writing such a great commen...Hi Doc,<br /><br />Thank you for writing such a great comment about Babylon AD. Everything you say is pretty much on the money, I'd say.<br /><br />First, there is almost no significant detail about who or what Aurora really is; how she is this A.I./human hybrid. You're right about that. Is she an android like Data? Or what? how was she "produced" in this manner?<br /><br />Secondly, I can't blame you for preferring the action in the film to the shallow depiction of the film's sci-fi concept (the coming age of Singularity). <br /><br />I guess what I'm indicating in my review is that had the central concept (about human evolution with machines...) been fortified to be about Aurora's dawning emotional knowledge of who and what (and why) she is, the film would have been more rewarding. <br /><br />I agree with you that the action is visually compelling, but I found it tonally off from the film's theme. <br /><br />I am wary of Singularity too. I fear my own death and the death of my loved ones, and Singularity promises immortality (st least for some...), so I'm curious about what shape such eternal life would take, but also nervous about it. A great film could be made about that concept, but Babylon AD isn't it, by a long shot.<br /><br />Thank you again for such a thoughtful and worthwhile comment!<br /><br />best,<br />JKMJohn Kenneth Muirhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15629979615332893780noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12380553.post-7720205294377134352011-03-24T22:23:50.008-04:002011-03-24T22:23:50.008-04:00John, I really liked your complete summary of the ...John, I really liked your complete summary of the film Babylon A.D.; including your reasoning for why the various intriguing elements did not add up to a coherent film. Not having read the novel “Babylon Babies” by Maurice Dantec that Babylon A.D. is based on, it is impossible to give entire blame to the film’s inconsistent story elements to the director/screenwriter Mathieu Kassovitz. It is quite possible that the novel itself did not present its diverse elements in a logical manner either.<br /><br />What bothers me about the film the most is that that Aurora is carrying a child that will be “the next step in human evolution”, but we’re never given a clear idea as to how this hybrid of A.I. and human intelligence was achieved, or what will be done with this being when he/she is born. I also hate it when religion is dragged into a science fiction premise; as if the only way non-genre fans are going to understand metaphysical concepts is by feeding it to us with a religious spoon. Oh course, the film (and I’m assuming the book as well) are trying to say that the unwashed masses are being beguiled by religion in order to keep world order.<br /><br />I’ve read many cyberpunk novels over the years by their primary torchbearers: William Gibson, Bruce Sterling, Rudy Rucker and John Shirley. Most cyberpunk is associated by the virtual reality cybernetic technology that Gibson wrote about in Neuromancer, but it also includes any type of advanced cybernetic technology. I have read a few books that dealt with bio-cybernetics; most notably Bruce Sterling’s Holy Fire, but I have never read anything that tries to directly combine machine and human intelligence in such a literal manner as implied in Babylon A.D.! It just strikes me as a ludicrous idea to begin with, so that when the “big reveal” comes at the end of the film I felt extremely let down.<br /><br />About the only thing that I disagree with you about Babylon A.D is when you state “the filmmakers should have focused; on the emotional content of Aurora's journey; not the spectacle and danger of the actual trip.” I actually preferred the action elements to the intellectual elements of the film. Not that the action sequences were spectacular, but they were at least visually compelling. The mistake that the filmmakers made was trying to incorporate a philosophical evolutional drama into a dystopian futuristic film noir action film. Oil and water just don’t mix. Yes, I do understand that Blade Runner attempted just this, but it works primarily as a futurist police procedural and doesn’t spend more than a perfunctory amount of time on the other elements. Plus, I have read “Do Robots Dream of Electric Sheep” and I suspect Philip K. Dick might have been a better writer than Maurice Dantec.<br /><br />On a side note: I hate the whole concept of “Singularity” as a way of achieving human intelligence immortality. This is a scientist’s idea of nirvana and my idea of hell. I may not be an overly religious man, but I’ll take my chances with the afterlife if Singularity is my only option.Fritz "Doc" Freakensteinhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13209589620766485745noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12380553.post-60343650791634955342011-03-24T18:44:32.836-04:002011-03-24T18:44:32.836-04:00Hello, my friends,
SFF: I really wanted to like a...Hello, my friends,<br /><br />SFF: I really wanted to like and get on board with this movie. I remembered the negative reviews and wanted this to be one of those times when I would see "something" in the movie that others had missed. But it didn't happen. Babylon AD just never really comes together; just never leaves you with the emotional wallop it should. I always go into a movie wanting to like it, so I was disappointed here, even with expectations in check.<br /><br />J.D. - Yep, total agreement! I couldn't agree with you more about the script: pedestrian. Weak soup. I am a big admirer of Vin Diesel (I love the Riddick films...) and I was hoping to see him do something more than recycle his popular hero in Babylon AD. Sorely disappointed in the whole affair, despite -- like you -- appreciating the "look" of the production in terms of New York City, especially.<br /><br />Great comments!<br /><br />best,<br />JKMJohn Kenneth Muirhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15629979615332893780noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12380553.post-10589385686105749072011-03-24T15:24:32.017-04:002011-03-24T15:24:32.017-04:00JKM, we are in total agreement about this film. I ...JKM, we are in total agreement about this film. I liked the look of it but felt that the script was weak and downright pedestrian. I like that Vin Diesel was trying a little something different here but it did feel like he was recycling his PITCH BLACK character. At least, it wasn't another FAST & FURIOUS film! What happened to this guy's career? He started off so promisingly and then made a few bad career choices and has squandered all the good will he garnered early on. I'd love to see what Luc Besson or any of his stable of directors could do with him in the right pulpy action film a la TAKEN or DISTRICT B13. It's a shame that Walter Hill's output has slowed down to next to nothing. I could see Diesel in one of his films.Anonymoushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08164105442273577128noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12380553.post-39152337586083861822011-03-24T14:59:17.050-04:002011-03-24T14:59:17.050-04:00By the way John, I actually have his earlier film ...By the way John, I actually have his earlier film Crimson Rivers on DVD. It starred Jean Reno and Vincent Cassel and is quite good.SFFhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04256589316922398158noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12380553.post-42450231147828830422011-03-24T14:52:44.296-04:002011-03-24T14:52:44.296-04:00Gosh. At the time of it's release there was h...Gosh. At the time of it's release there was hardly a good reason to see this film.<br /><br />I had heard so many negatives about it.<br /><br />LEt's just say, you've given me one more reason never to see it.<br /><br />But, your voice on the subject is certainly one of the few that matters most to me as far as assessing the quality of a film.<br /><br />I was pleased to see you cover it. I had hoped your review and summation might have had a different outcome than many things I had heard.<br /><br />Clearly you offer alot of great examples and quality comparisons to gage the material. It looks like the recommendation, albeit fully analyzed, falls into the Don't see department.<br /><br />At the very least it was the nail in the coffin for me. Thanks for the impartial review as always JOhn.<br /><br />Best, <br />SFFSFFhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04256589316922398158noreply@blogger.com