There are movies that appear in the right time and place with some good actors and hype director and are usually concerned with some broad humane concept. Given enough critical acclaims these movies start to be overexposed and finally everyone starts believing there is more to them than just the latest stylish interpretation of a familiar subject. Well, Babel is that kind of movie - stylishly shot in interesting locations and with some great performances it deals with the the theme of miscommunication. It doesn't say anything new or anything interesting for that matter but it says it pretentiously and with some visually astounding techniques. After sitting through over 2 hours you will walk away with grief in your heart and feeling so emotionally disconnected with all the characters that the message of the movie will probably be lost. This doesn't mean that the actors didn't do their best to convey the grief, sadness and loneliness they were experiencing. It's just that the movie feels contrived at times and the story (actually stories) is too bleak and even boring at times to be memorable. All in all, Babel is not a great movie although it has the elements of one but they just don't come together.
