if i trust anyone's take on a movie, i'll trust the director. i think it's pretty bad when a director isn't proud of his movie. If anything i'll just wait till it comes out on dvd...

You went with fox, what did you expect. There not gonna let you take pot shots at their superiors. Besides they ruin most everything else, why should your film be any different?

This movie looked pretty awful to begin with, and I really can't stand Vin Diesel. The director saying the movie sucks definitely makes me want to steer clear of a film I hadn't planned on seeing to begin with.

I like how Kassovitz's quote insinuates that an action movie starring Diesel wouldn't suck in general. I read the premise and thought it was bad; the trailer just cemented my opinion. Studio intervention fucking up what could've been a decent flick is not a rarity, but I don't think that applies here. I know Vin can sorta act, but even in those trailer scenes it feels like his brain is phoning it in.

Fox needs to FO.

I was actually looking forward to this movie. I'm not a big Vin Diesel fan, but I thought the trailer looked pretty cool. Like a cross between Blade Runner and Children of Men. But--yikes--if the director thinks the movie sucks. . . Of course, some directors are never happy with their own movies no matter what. Maybe this is a case of the director being overly dramatic and pissy.

Hey Danny,
Everybodys got a chip on their shoulder about Diesel but fact is I guarantee it that you have seen most of his movies? Yeah?

The movie concept is intreaquing and Vin is not the best actor but at least he is entertaining.. and looks about right for the roll...

I think its complete bullshit that these movie companies are no longer making movies for the fans that they used to be. I mean if you look into the past the movies used to be bitching because they were made with the peoples enjoyment in mind.. now they are made to make money plain and simple. In some cases they spend more on the marketing then the movie itself.. we need more studios willing to jump out on a limb for the movie goers.. and not sensor the creative vision of a director.. you know?

yeah thats what i think... and unfortunately our voice are only heard amongst ourselves.. we need more say in this shit.. u know?

From first Showing

http://www.firstshowing.net/2008/08/25/babylon-...

Babylon A.D. hits theaters this coming weekend, August 29th, but apparently it's not going to be the movie that even its director, Mathieu Kassovitz, wanted it to be. In a rather eye-opening interview with AMC, Kassovitz opens up about the problems he had with Fox and the troubles with the film. If you're one of those people who thought it wouldn't be a problem if Fox ended up getting the distribution rights to Watchmen, just wait until you read about the things they did to Kassovitz and the situation they've left him in - I think you'll change your mind. This is truly a tragic story to hear and unfortunately it's too late to do anything anyway. "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."

Kassovitz starts off this tragic tale by explaining that "the scope of the original book [that this is based on] was quite amazing." But unfortunately the result is not the same. "It's pure violence and stupidity," Kassovitz says. And that's not a good thing that he's describing. "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." If a director is saying that about his own movie, you definitely know something went wrong, very wrong. Kassovitz attempts to explain how the entire film slipped out of his hands and into Fox's, which is where all the problems began.

Babylon A.D.Apparently the film had production problems from the start, including weather delays and budget concerns. "Fox was sending lawyers who were only looking at all the commas and the dots. They made everything difficult from A to Z." Then, as we know, Fox stepped in around April and cut the film down, quite a bit. The official running time is supposedly only 90 minutes, but apparently that's much shorter (or different) than it could have been. Kassovitz says that "I know what I had — I had something much better in my hands but I just wasn't allowed to work." And he goes on to say "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." That's probably the smartest thing I've heard, considering most filmmakers just shrug off other movies like that.

I knew there were problems with Fox and Babylon A.D. earlier this year when we reported that they were cutting it down, but I didn't even know Kassovitz was this upset. That explains why he's not doing any press for the film. I actually was excited to see this, based on the trailers, but now I'm not even sure I will. Hearing what Kassovitz said has left me quite depressed and quite angry at Fox. Now you know why I am so adamantly fighting against their acquisition of Watchmen. Hearing a director say "I had something much better in my hands" is such a sad thing to hear. And if we can leave you, or anyone, with a bit of wisdom, we'll let Kassovitz tell it to you. "I should have chosen a studio that has guts. 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 shit."

You need movie street cred to call it the studios fault. With Gothika as his last major hollywood film, I don't see a long running list of damn fine filmmaking to let me let Kassovitz get off with blaming it on Fox. Fox can be bastards, but they can't ruin a movie by a bad director.

Wow, if the director said Fox fucked this up then maybe they do suck now. I'm a believer now.

I'm disappointed, it sounded like a cool premise but it's been downhill since they announced the US version would be all of 42 minutes long. Maybe I'll DL the international release.

I'll wait for the $1.00 theater.

Didn't want to see it before, definitely won't see it now.

I'm a fan of Mathieu Kassovitz's film, LA HAINE. What a brilliant take on France's banlieue fringe districts and on the racial tensions of France in the mid-'90s.
But since he has made his way to Hollywood, what a mess! I'll wait unil they release a director's cut of BABYLON A.D. and get it on Netflix...

I could only handle and hour of it before I had to stop watching...I love science fiction but this film was hard to swallow, nothing was really there..although I found the Russian sets to look great

an hour*

Who gives a shit. Vin Diesel sucks anyways.

Agreed, Shane. No one cares.

Real6, I think your comment may have been too long.

I vote name change: Van Daisel.

He's mad at the studio because they didn't have the "guts"to piss away the extra millions needed to reshoot all the crap he had already shot. That's not the studios fault, that's the director not having a clue what he's doing.

Mathieu Kassovitz is an awesome guy who knows what he's doing. I just think coming to the U.S. to make movies is what screwed up his talent. Because he definitely has it (La Haine). Hearing this just makes me lose my faith in Hollywood and it's studios more and more. It's becoming quite apparent that what most of them seem to care about lately is money. No more respect for the director or their vision.
A bunch of dream killers they are now.

oh and fuck fox.

Hah. Well, Chuck, you got me, as I have seen most of them, and I'm not denying that the guy can be entertaining. But the bottom line is: if anyone sees this as a shock or a blow to either the director or actor's careers, they needs to look over the critical reaction to their filmographies a bit more closely. Or just rewatch the films to see how subpar they were.

'I NEVER NARCED ON NOBODY'........ nuff said.

This all sounds like the evil of 20th century fox rearing its ugly head. These guys interfere with the director's decisions before, during, and after production, so if the director says these things, I believe him. Look at the films they've released the past three years, and the stories behind them.

you'd have to be one pissed off director to denounce your own film in the press. In a way, I feel like a lot of artists producing "commercial art" have to suck it up and deal with what happens in the process, let it go, put your chin up , and move forward, but it's a defeatist attitude.

REgardless, Kassovitz sounds like a director that might be better off putting Hollywood behind him and making the films he wants to make elsewhere. It's the same lesson that Jean-Pierre Jeunet learned and it has served him well.

I don't know if I want to see the film now. The director definitely delivered a big F you to Fox and he will have to live with that. I'm sorry he feels his work has been screwed, but he would have been better off just quitely distancing himself from the film. Too late for that.

I was intrigued when I saw the first teaser a while back, I said "Woah, a Vin Diesel movie with potential! (next to Saving Private Ryan)" But the second I saw snowmobiles jumping over rpg's I said "Stupid". It's a shame that the movie was ripped to shreds, but like mentioned by everyone else, This guys last Hollywood film was Gothika...hmmmm...Even though Fox tore it apart....This guy still filmed a snowmobile doing a backfilp over an rpg....sooooooooo. Maybe both are to blame for a shitty movie?

Wanted to see it before, still want to. Was never willing to pay the 12 dollar (in NYC) price for it, still not willing to. I wanted to see it to make fun of it, and with the director's words that'll be even easier

if the director says the movie sucks, something is wrong then. i might skip it.

Bad movie, really bad, like the director said, it's suck. I dunno wat's wrong with the movie it's getting worse at the back part and the ending have nothing to related or tell bout the whole story, damn it.

Wow this movie sucked.

SPOILER:
Why didn't the helicopter that dropped him off just pick her up?