Masters of Scifi - Babylon A.D. Director Mathieu Kassovitz Describes a Disastrous Production
Mathieu Kassovitz is pissed off. The French auteur, who first made waves in 1995 with La Haine, is supposed to be celebrating the passion project he's been nursing for the past five years. Instead -- the week before Babylon A.D. hits theaters -- he is nursing a grudge. "I'm very unhappy with the film," he says. "I never had a chance to do one scene the way it was written or the way I wanted it to be. The script wasn't respected. Bad producers, bad partners, it was a terrible experience."
The film, starring Vin Diesel, is an adaptation of the French novel Babylon Babies by Maurice Georges Dantec. It tells the story of a mercenary (Diesel) in the year 2019 who is hired to transport a woman and her guardian from Eastern Europe to New York. "The scope of the original book was quite amazing," says Kassovitz. "The author was very much into geopolitics and how the world is going to evolve. He saw that as wars evolve, it won't be just about territories any more, but money-driven politics. As a director it's something that's very attractive to do."
Diesel emphasizes the movie's theme of smuggling people across national borders. "This whole thing that's happening in Georgia right now is so fresh that no one has even asked about it yet," he says. "We're coming into an age where borders are closing, and I think that our society will be numb to it because of our freedom in the virtual world, our freedom in the Internet."
But according to Kassovitz, Babylon A.D. fails to deliver any of these messages. "It's pure violence and stupidity," he admits. "The movie is supposed to teach us that the education of our children will mean the future of our planet. All the action scenes had a goal: They were supposed to be driven by either a metaphysical point of view or experience for the characters... instead parts of the movie are like a bad episode of 24."
So how did a premise steeped in real-world relevance fall so far off track?
The film's production was reportedly riddled with problems, from vast delays to budgetary concerns to weather setbacks. Kassovitz points to the studio, "Fox was sending lawyers who were only looking at all the commas and the dots," he says. "They made everything difficult from A to Z." The last stroke, Kassovitz says, was when Fox interfered with the editing of the film, paring it down to a confusing 93 minutes (original reports were that 70 minutes were cut from the film; Kassovitz says the number is closer to 15). Diesel too was astounded at the film's length. Having just completed production of the fourth installment of The Fast and the Furious, he had not seen a cut of the film in six months. "Am I even in the movie any more, or am I on the cutting room floor?" the actor joked. Fox could not be reached for comment on this story.
To be fair, Kassovitz doesn't entirely hate the film. "I like the energy of it and I got some scenes I'm happy with," he says. "But I know what I had -- I had something much better in my hands but I just wasn't allowed to work." That the movie follows on the heels of such strong summer scifi options, will also prove challenging. "Babylon will probably have a good first weekend, but the second weekend we're going to lose 30%," says Kassovitz. "I don't see how people who went through all these amazing blockbusters like The Dark Knight and Iron Man this summer will take it."
Diesel says that a director is always in the difficult position of being held accountable for a film's success or failure. "It's hard," he says. "Filmmaking is such a collaborative effort you can't look to one person." Where does Kassovitz look? "I should have chosen a studio that has guts," he says. "Fox was just trying to get a PG-13 movie. I'm ready to go to war against them, but I can't because they don't give a s--t."
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While I hate hearing this about a movie I have been anticipating, I will still go and see it this weekend. Fox has been such a disappointment in the last few years to me; they had always been the studio I could always count on and expect a lot out of, I dont get that anymore. While I really enjoyed Horton (I think that has more to do with Blue Sky Studios more then Fox) this year has not been a good one for Fox. The only thing I am really liking about Fox right now is that they are handling all the MGM dvds and doing that beautifully.
This is such a huge and intense book that I was concerned how they were going to get it onto film as it was. Now to hear that the action scenes seem to be driving the movie rather than the story, I'm so sad.
The first comment above, about thought provoking activity only in books? is just the mentality FOX is shooting for in both its movies, and news, which is to say, zilch. The only legend worth talking about about this movie is, producers and bean counters have been ruining decent stories for 100 years. Seen this weekend, Babylon AD would be Babble-on ADD if it had any premise at all, but How? Why? Huh? It left movie goers bewildered and laughing out loud. Couldn't find the story or point at all in this paste up of action scenes, possibly the greatest WTF experience of my life.
Now noir style was terrific, hard to pull off in color, but the plot's a mess, message as depicted by director book writer and screenplay writer, totally lost.
A $12M weekend which will descend to less than $30 tops on word of mouth--this one will follow the grosses of Alien3--which is to say, big first weekend, and word of mouth puts in the toilet. I mean, Journey to the Center of the Earth 3D had more plot. (LOL)
Wait for the director's cut and those added fifteen minutes. MAYBE the DVD will salvage the real movie, and I'll take a risk from the $9.99 bin, but to answer Vin Diesel's question about whether cutting left him in the movie?
Yes, unfortunately.
The fact he won't go to the wall for this is the very reason we keep seeing absolute garbage in the theaters. Maybe if he thought his intellectual product was something of merit he would be willing to fight for it. Instead, it's just some other watered-down sci-fi film with no point.
Again.
The cowardice displayed in front of a mountainous legal team these days is disgusting. Any sane person wouldn't let themselves be manipulated so easily.Someone could argue the money involved in such an endeavor, but at the very same time I could argue intellectual property laws.
I hope everyone enjoys the tripe that's primed to be shoved down their throats, yet again. I know I won't be paying to see it.
I think the movie will do well anyway --- violence and stupidity are attractive features in a movie. If I want a thought provoking activity, I'll read a book.
I do, however, understand Kassovitz's frustration. His creative vision was infringed upon and I sympathize with him.
Another example of potential being shoved aside for marketability.
To YDM69-Maybe word of mouth will be good. Alien3 didn't do well because Alien is a widely-beloved franchise. This is known to some as the book, but probably more people have and will see it because they're fans of Vin Diesel or action movies. A lot of people would love 90 minutes of car chases, shootings, fist fights and any other form of violence they can think to simulate. Don't think this movie will do well? Look at 80% of tv shows that have run longer than one season and tell me you have no doubts about the tastes of the public. It may not become a classic 50 years from now, but Fox will make money on it. "Nothing but violence and stupidity" is right up a whole lot of people's alleys. The mention of a fourth (FOURTH!!) The Fast and the Furious should tell you that people love crap and will pay to see it over and over and over again.
Babylon A.D. 2-coming in 2010.
mgs- there is no intellectual property issue. When he contracted with FOX, and agreed to let them put up the money, it became a work for hire. They own it; which is why they have final cut. They also decide if and when there will be a director's cut.
The mention of a fourth The Fast and The Furious, is interesting for what is says about the public tastes, and the state of Vin Diesel's career.
I saw it opening night. The 2nd half of the movie, I kept telling my husband at the moments where scenes were so obviously cut. There are also several bloopers- editing problems... but I know that I am beyond picky about those. I will never miss a Vin Diesel movie- I'm too much of a fan! But every person in the audience walked away confused. One person even stood up and said, "Is anyone else as lost as I am?" To which we all raised our hands, and he said, "Good, I don't feel so alone now!"
I feel bad for this director, he knew the criticism that was coming before it even opened. And I agree with his view points exactly.
Mr. Kassovitz, your hands were tied, don't be so hard on yourself!
What the hell there are no bad episodes of 24, every episode of 24 is awesome. I don't like it when people say bad things about 24 cause i'm not use to it. This is the 1st time i've every heard some one say something bad about 24. I love Kiefer Sutherland and what people should see is the movie Mirrors Kiefer did such an amazing job on that movie like he always does with every movie.
Christen
Kieferlover10
It is so great to hear of a director taking a stand against the studios. This is the problem with the world today. Here is the perfect example of a message the world needs to hear and instead they just get action. “Look what the billboards say, come and play come and play, forget about the movement." the dumb'ing down of America starts here at home in Tinsel Town...
I just saw this movie and after reading this article it made so much more sense....the movie wasn't complete. I'm not familiar with the book babylon babies at all, but you can tell that they were trying to say something in this movie but it just never got there. At the end you're left feeling like "what the F*@k. Is that the end?" I had a conversation with a couple of people as we left the theater and everyone felt the same....like we were all still waiting for something else. In the end i felt like the movie had the potential to be incredible....a movie that I would have went to go see multiple times and bought the DVD (like a really kick ass version of serenity with a better message and story), but the movie just didn't deliver. After reading the interview with the director I see why. I hope years from now someone tries to make the movie again the right way.
Funny Mr.Mathieu Kassovitz, if you want to send this type of mes. you need to produce to movie in Europa. FOX DID NOTHING WRONG - they just produce a movie at the intellectual level of the audience. Therefore, if you want to educate people try a continent that is pro education, do not come to America.
I walked out of the theater before the movie was over, about half-way through I'd watched all I could. I totally agree w/ the director that it was stupid. It doesn't hold a candle to this summer's blockbuster sci fi films, or any other.
and...I should add, I went to see it on the opening day, Friday, August 29, before the comments from the director were published.
Damm nice movie... I really loved it....
and a clear n crisp review
Vin is an amazing guy... Read it from somewhere that Vin Diesel dropped out of the lead role of Hitman just to star in this movie.
Came across a site which has wallpapers and other interesting trivia of this movie.. Check out http://movies.iexplorehere.com/review/754/Babylon-AD.html
Jatin
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