Babylon A.D.
A mercenary smuggles a superintelligent woman in a dystopian future.
Babylon A.D. is a 2008 science-fiction action film directed by Mathieu Kassovitz, who co-wrote the screenplay with Éric Besnard. It adapts the 1999 novel *Babylon Babies*. The story follows Vin Diesel’s character, a mercenary hired to transport a superintelligent young woman named Aurora to the United States. The cast includes Michelle Yeoh, Mélanie Thierry, Lambert Wilson, and Mark Strong. The film was a co-production involving France, the United Kingdom, and the United States.
Released in France on August 29, 2008, by 20th Century Fox France, the film received negative reviews and fell short of commercial expectations, earning $72 million against a budget of $60–70 million. Kassovitz later disowned the final cut, stating that 20th Century Fox interfered heavily during production and that the released version did not match his original vision.
In a dystopian near-future, Russian mobster Gorsky hires mercenary Toorop to escort a young woman called Aurora from Asia to New York City. Gorsky provides weapons and a subdermally implanted UN passport. Toorop, Aurora, and her guardian Sister Rebeka travel from a convent in Kyrgyzstan through Russia. Unlike the technologically advanced United States, Russia’s cities have become dangerous, overpopulated slums due to war and terrorism. Aurora exhibits clairvoyant abilities and strange behavior, such as fleeing a crowded train station moments before a terrorist bombing.
The group is pursued by mercenaries claiming to be sent by Aurora’s supposedly dead father. They board a submarine carrying refugees to Canada. To avoid satellite detection, the captain dives and shoots some refugees still trying to board. Angered by the loss of life, Aurora operates the 30-year-old submarine without training. Sister Rebeka reveals that Aurora spoke nineteen languages by age two and always knew things she had never learned. Three months earlier, after a Noelite doctor gave her a pill, Aurora began acting differently and was told to go to New York City.
In Alaska, with help from Toorop’s associate Finn, the group is attacked by weaponized drones. Toorop destroys them but is wounded. Finn betrays them, and Toorop kills him. In Harlem, a news report about the bombing of the Kyrgyzstan convent reveals that Gorsky, working for the Noelites, planted a tracking device in Toorop’s passport and bombed the convent.
Quick Facts
- Director
- Mathieu Kassovitz
- Producer
- Ilan Goldman
- Screenplay
- Mathieu Kassovitz / Éric Besnard / Joseph Simas
- Based On
- Babylon Babies · Maurice G. Dantec
- Starring
- Vin Diesel / Michelle Yeoh / Mélanie Thierry / Lambert Wilson / Mark Strong
- Music
- Atli Örvarsson
- Cinematography
- Thierry Arbogast
- Editing
- Benjamin Weill
- Production Companies
- StudioCanal / MNP Entreprise / M6 Films / One Race Films / Dune Entertainment
- Distributor
- 20th Century Fox / (International) / StudioCanal / (France)
- Released
- 29 August 2008
- Runtime
- 101 minutes / (France) / 90 minutes / (United Kingdom)
Facts from the source article.
Lore & Background
In a dystopian near future, Russian mobster Gorsky hires mercenary Hugo Toorop to transport a young woman named Aurora from Asia to New York City. Toorop, Aurora, and her guardian Sister Rebeka travel from a convent in Kyrgyzstan through war-torn Russia. Aurora displays clairvoyance and supernatural knowledge, including speaking nineteen languages by age two. The group evades mercenaries and a submarine captain who shoots refugees, while Aurora operates the submarine without training. After reaching Alaska with help from associate Finn, they are attacked by drones; Finn betrays them and is killed by Toorop. In Harlem, they learn Gorsky planted a tracking device and bombed the convent. Aurora reveals she is pregnant with twins despite being a virgin. A firefight ensues; Rebeka is killed, and Aurora shoots Toorop, saying 'I need you to live.' Dr. Arthur Darquandier revives Toorop with cybernetics and explains he implanted a supercomputer into Aurora's brain as a fetus. The Noelite Church, led by a power-seeking High Priestess, had planned to use Aurora for a 'virgin birth.' Darquandier is killed by the High Priestess, but Toorop escapes. Six months later, Aurora dies after childbirth, and Toorop cares for her two children.
Reader's Guide
Babylon A.D. is notable as a science-fiction action film that failed to meet commercial expectations, grossing $72 million against a $60–70 million budget, and received negative reviews from critics. Director Mathieu Kassovitz disowned the finished film, claiming 20th Century Fox interfered throughout production and that the film did not represent his intended vision. The film's plot involves themes of genetic engineering, religious manipulation, and dystopian collapse, but its execution was widely criticized. The alternate 'StudioCanal' cut omits the climactic chase and final scene with Aurora's children. The film is based on Maurice Georges Dantec's novel Babylon Babies and features an international cast including Vin Diesel, Michelle Yeoh, and Gérard Depardieu. Its legacy is primarily as a troubled production and a cautionary example of studio interference.
Did You Know?
- Vin Diesel dropped out of the lead role of Hitman to star in Babylon A.D.
- The film's director Mathieu Kassovitz disowned the finished film, citing interference by 20th Century Fox.
- Aurora could speak nineteen languages by the age of two and displayed clairvoyance.
- The alternate 'StudioCanal' cut does not include the climactic chase scene or the final scene with Aurora's children.
Frequently Asked Questions
What novel is Babylon A.D. based on?
The 2008 film is an adaptation of the 1999 French science fiction novel *Babylon Babies*. Mathieu Kassovitz co-wrote the screenplay with Éric Besnard, reshaping the book's dystopian premise into a screen action narrative.
Who directed Babylon A.D. and who is in the cast?
Mathieu Kassovitz directed the picture, which stars Vin Diesel as a mercenary hired to escort a superintelligent young woman named Aurora across a ruined world. Supporting roles are played by Michelle Yeoh, Mélanie Thierry, Lambert Wilson, and Mark Strong.
What is the basic plot of Babylon A.D.?
In a fractured, technologically advanced yet decaying future, a hired gun must smuggle a teenage superintelligent girl to the United States while being hunted by factions that want her captured. The escort mission drives the story through a landscape of corporate power and survival.
What was the production budget and release of Babylon A.D.?
The film was a French, British, and American co-production with a reported budget of roughly $60 to $70 million. It opened in France on August 29, 2008, distributed by 20th Century Fox France.
How was Babylon A.D. received by critics and audiences?
The movie drew predominantly negative reviews at its 2008 release and fell short of recouping its substantial production cost at the box office. Over time, however, it has gained a small cult following among fans of Vin Diesel's action work and European sci-fi cinema.
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