Babylon is debauchery at its finest. It encapsulates an era like no other and dares to be so different, yet so appealing. On the surface this film is a very straightforward plot, following our three leads and their attempts at success in the ever-changing world of cinema. But deep down, there is another message that is so relevant to everyone's life: accepting death/irrelevance.
Just as fast as our characters achieve their dreams of being stars in the industry, these dreams are quickly whisked away by the brutality and cutthroat nature of Hollywood. This is juxtaposed with Brad Pitts character, a man already on downward spiral of his career, trying to desperately hold on to what remains. These arches are so honest and vulnerable, I found very compelling.
The performances were top notch all around, and I would expect nothing more from a stacked cast of actors including Margot Robbie and Brad Pitt. But the surprise of the bunch was Diego Calva. He was fantastic and stole many scenes he was featured in with both Robbie and Pitt. He is the true lead of this film and does an excellent job bearing the load.
I really enjoyed almost aspects of the film, but towards the end there are some sequences that I feel got away from Chazelle. They are so over the top and kind of feal out of place in this somewhat grounded story. The tension is there in these scenes, but it just doesn't fit. This whole subplot could have been shorten tremendously helping reduce the bloated runtime of the film.
That being, I never really felt the length of this picture with it being quite well paced. Overall, this movie was real treat, and it is quite a shame that marketing was jumbled up so poorly because this film deserves viewership.
Score: 88%
Verdict: Excellent
Theatre Verdict: See It
