Babylon is Damien Chazelle's love letter to cinema, as cinephiles or regular viewers witnessed earlier in the year with Speilberg's "The Fablemans." Babylon is flashy, over the top and magical. Set in the hay day of silent films to the eventual monumental switch to sound. Babylon's chaotic opening perfectly denotes a style of film that viewers will witness over its lengthy 3-hour runtime. Accompanied by a jazzy score, quick editing and stylish cinematography, Babylon transports us to a vibrant and lavish world of cinema production in the early 20th century.
At its core, Babylon's run time is supported and even helped by striking and stellar performances. Namely, Margot Robbie and her show-stealing performance. Accompanied by her dynamic range, she delivers the grandeur nature of her character Nellie LaRoy and, ultimately, her imperfections not as an actress but as an individual. Brad Pitt equally holds his ground as Jack Conrad, who exquisitely depicts his character's downfall from a star to a washed-up actor with no future. However, we must remember Diego Calva, who deserves equal praise for his exceptional portrayal of Manuel, who functions as the heart and soul that keeps Babylon together.
Babylon, however, does feel at times a series of "set pieces" within a more fantastic story but fails to connect the world and characters as one living, breathing entity. The film jumped from character to character too much, and potentially tightening of the plot, which interweaved them sufficiently (emphasis on Jack Conrad's character), might have reduced the run time and left a slightly better impression on the overall story. Manuel and Nellie's relationship as lovers who wanted to run away together came about too abruptly and even forced. Chazelle could have developed their story subtly throughout the film before its conclusion.
However, Babylon is much more than a story about our characters and their journey throughout Hollywood. Babylon is a message that (maybe too on the nose) exemplifies cinema's timeless impact on us as a viewer, the range of emotions they resonate within us and the beautiful, bitter-sweet memories they evoke. The opening scene perfectly highlights this notion and the pleasure and euphoria cinema can cultivate in us. People, actors and characters come and go and are lost and forgotten, but cinema itself endures and prevails.
Perhaps Damien Chazelle's Babylon is a personal gripe at what cinema as an industry has become through the characterisation of the menacing villain James McKay portrayed by Tobey Maguire. McKay states that anyone will do anything for money, and Chazelle articulates that the loss of cinema's "true art" is becoming apparent today.
Babylon's exaggerated, flamboyant and chaotic tone creates an entertaining and humorous experience that is worth the watch but does not entirely escape its downfalls.
At its core, Babylon's run time is supported and even helped by striking and stellar performances. Namely, Margot Robbie and her show-stealing performance. Accompanied by her dynamic range, she delivers the grandeur nature of her character Nellie LaRoy and, ultimately, her imperfections not as an actress but as an individual. Brad Pitt equally holds his ground as Jack Conrad, who exquisitely depicts his character's downfall from a star to a washed-up actor with no future. However, we must remember Diego Calva, who deserves equal praise for his exceptional portrayal of Manuel, who functions as the heart and soul that keeps Babylon together.
Babylon, however, does feel at times a series of "set pieces" within a more fantastic story but fails to connect the world and characters as one living, breathing entity. The film jumped from character to character too much, and potentially tightening of the plot, which interweaved them sufficiently (emphasis on Jack Conrad's character), might have reduced the run time and left a slightly better impression on the overall story. Manuel and Nellie's relationship as lovers who wanted to run away together came about too abruptly and even forced. Chazelle could have developed their story subtly throughout the film before its conclusion.
However, Babylon is much more than a story about our characters and their journey throughout Hollywood. Babylon is a message that (maybe too on the nose) exemplifies cinema's timeless impact on us as a viewer, the range of emotions they resonate within us and the beautiful, bitter-sweet memories they evoke. The opening scene perfectly highlights this notion and the pleasure and euphoria cinema can cultivate in us. People, actors and characters come and go and are lost and forgotten, but cinema itself endures and prevails.
Perhaps Damien Chazelle's Babylon is a personal gripe at what cinema as an industry has become through the characterisation of the menacing villain James McKay portrayed by Tobey Maguire. McKay states that anyone will do anything for money, and Chazelle articulates that the loss of cinema's "true art" is becoming apparent today.
Babylon's exaggerated, flamboyant and chaotic tone creates an entertaining and humorous experience that is worth the watch but does not entirely escape its downfalls.