Babylon is one of the most mediocre moments I have ever felt watching a movie. And yet I would have loved to experience it in the cinemas. I would have liked to know how so many people reacted to the sheer chaos on the screen. I would have liked to see how many got teary eyed like me in the finale. I would have loved to talk to people afterwards to see if they were willing to share more about what they thought about the early days of cinema.
I didn’t think Damien Chazzelle could create an informative and telling tale about the early cinema that was R rated and ran for 3 hours long and had a stupendously roaring loud screenplay to go with it but that’s exactly what he did with Babylon.
Margot Robbie plays a triumphant Harley Quinn-like character who never stops ****ING up things in her life, Diego Calva in the first movie I have ever seen him in, stands out as a capable leading man who’s entertaining to watch and Brad Pitt plays a established Hollywood star who’s ready to be replaced much like DiCaprio’s character in Once Upon a Time in…Hollywood.
8.5/10 an often times cartoonish attempt to capture the wild roaring essence of the well, roaring '20s that falls flat in trying to be scary and nuanced at so many turns but when it works, it’s magic.
Similar movies: I saw a bit of “Moulin Rouge” in the movie’s first party scene and the narrative setup feels carried on or atleast inspired from Once Upon a Time in… Hollywood.
Leaving question: What is your fav Damien Chazzelle ending?
Ultimately, that is all that matters.