Movie Review: Babylon

Not something I often write about, but it’s actually something I do often. Go to the cinema and watch a film. It’s one of my favourite things to do, just getting lost in another world for two hours give or take. I often walk out thinking about who I can talk to about the film, but often I’m the first as I’m a regular at watching films on the big screen.

So in this post I’m going to talk to you, the reader, about a film I watched very recently and have actually returned to the cinema to watch again in the past few days. I could end my review there as that in itself gives away how good the film actually is.

Babylon is set in 1926, Hollywood. It’s the era of silent movies. The story focuses on one guy called Manny/Manuel Torres who dreams of working on a film set. However, for money, he butlers at raunchy parties for the rich and famous. There he falls in love with Margot Robbie’s character, Nellie LaRoy. A star without yet being a star, that would be her dream. A movie star. At this party, Manny also intertwines himself with Brad Pitt’s character, Jack Conrad. Much like Brad Pitt, Jack was the big star of his day and was basically a household name.

Babylon takes on about three separate storylines, with a couple of sub plots. Manny, Nellie and Jack each embark on a journey that the film documents. Manny and Nellie’s characters cross paths more often though. However, the big plot of the story is the film industry transitioning from silent to talkies and how it’s dealt with.

Now the review is hard because there is so much to unpack and digest. It’s an absolute rollercoaster of a movie. But, as stated earlier, I loved it. The subliminal message it’s trying to get across reaches its climax in the final sequence of the movie and what an ending it is. It isn’t what you’d expect, but I found myself getting goosebumps.

I’ve read a lot of reviews online and the general criticism the film receives is that it’s a jumbled mess that’s taken too far in some stages. It’s an 18 for a reason. It’s criticised for being a great concept, but didn’t deliver any substance. It’s only saving grace is the acting. These are all hot takes, but I’m going to disagree with them all.

I’m fully aware that this film isn’t for everyone. It’s long (3 hours) and it’s frankly disgusting in some scenes. But, for those that are still curious, you’ll be surprised to learn that Brad Pitt and Margot Robbie give some of their career best performances, in my opinion. Both were brilliant and I always say that the best acting is when you forget they’re acting and I would easily be convinced Jack Conrad was real and was Brad Pitt for example.

Babylon is glitzy as well as gritty. It shows the highs of Hollywood stars, but also shows the struggles they face. One scene, in particular, summarises the life of a movie star perfectly.

What I also love about the film is that it shows you the life behind the scenes and what they went through to get ‘the perfect shot’. It demonstrated tricks of the trade that I never knew they did and I found that to be fascinating. It made it seem like a movie set is both the most magical place in the world, and the most chaotic.

I was also surprised by the humour. Both in slapstick form and carefully placed dialogue. It made me laugh a few times and I thought some scenes wouldn’t look out of place in a Monty Python sketch. Uniquely funny in many ways.

I also have to applaud the cinematography. So many scenes were beautifully shot. It’s like every shot was carefully thought out and that thought paid dividends in the quality of the scenes. You’ll also have to have a keen eye as there’s intentionally placed phrases or objects that are designed to be seen by those paying attention. I thought some of it was very smart.

I have my own criteria when analysing a film. If a film can nail its cinematography, its score, its scripting and its pacing then you’ve already won half the battle of making a good movie. Babylon hit all four. In addition to its cinematography, the film score is superb and you’ll have one of the songs stuck in your head for days.

To summarise, I would largely ignore the critics. This film is bold, loud and not afraid to get dirty. Its hectic story line is what makes it so engaging. That’s what the world of film used to be, chaos. It doesn’t take itself too seriously as that’s a trap it could’ve fallen into, 3 hours of a deadly serious film that tackles the idea of silent pictures moving to talkies. Sounds boring to me. Even Singing in the Rain didn’t take itself too seriously and this is what Babylon is loosely based on. In fact there is a few nods towards the 1950’s classic. So don’t be afraid, come and enter the outrageous world of Hollywood like you’ve probably never seen it before.

As people tend to enjoy a good list, here are my ratings for particular elements of the film

Cinematography: 9/10

Score: 8/10

Acting: 10/10

Pacing: 8/10

Dialogue: 9/10

Plot: 9/10

Final score: 9/10