Chronicles of the Fast and the Babylon A.D.

We caught Babylon A.D. over Labor Day weekend because my wife and sister both like Vin Diesel--alot. Don't get me wrong, I like him too, ever since Pitch Black, but B.A.D. (hmmm) is a collection of his typecast roles, from The Fast and The Furious to Chronicles of Riddick to xXx. A Children of Men clone (which I liked enough to buy on DVD but I was't as impressed by that movie as some), B.A.D. fails to capture even a tenth of the plot development of CoM.

The movie had promise, especially the first couple of acts as "Toorop" (whaaa?) and his package escape from Russia to Canada on their way to New York. I loved the dystopian future combined with the glimpses of future technology (interactive e-ink map, omnipresent Google, and the ginormous TV wall). I was hoping for more, but alas, it didn't even approach the futuregeekness of, say, Minority Report.

However, the movie ultimately falls apart because it doesn't give the audience a compelling reason to root for the characters, unlike CoM, which the very future of humanity was at stake. And don't get me started on the ending...I won't spoil it, but it was either the most blatant sequel setup ever or they ran out of ideas or money or both since there's seemingly no final act. I think the "WTF?!? C'mon!" reactions from the crowd as the director credit appeared sums Babylon A.D. up best.

With that behind us, bring on the next Fast and Furious. My sis and wife need a better Vin fix!