Babylon | Cinematic Masterpiece or Disaster? (Film Analysis)

Babylon is one of the most divisive movies of 2022. Some think it's another Damien Chazelle masterpiece. Others think it's a complete dumpster fire. Whatever your opinion, it's bound to be strong. In this video, I breakdown Babylon's central themes and explain why they could serve the movie's reputation well in the long term.

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#babylon #movies

[robertmarginean]

That 8 takes scene is absolutely fantastic

[RumneyRock]

We beg people to be creative. We groan when there's another reboot or super hero sequel. Or atleast I do. So when something like this movie comes along I don't get how people can bash it. I just walked out of it. I thought it was amazing. My 2 favorite parts was Nellies first movie with sound. And all of Tobey Maguire. Seriously like wtf was that. Hell of picture 2 thumbs up from me.

[bentertainmentproductions]

It was eye popping, jaw dropping, mesmerizing, maddening, and poignant experience. It was also heavenly as well as hellish. May seem messy/polarizing I get that but this was quite a movie. Despite the box office bombing, I really hope Damien Chazelle’s keeps making movies like this.

[TychoTV]

The critic who labeled Babylon 'a defecating elephant of a movie' got up and left after the defecating elephant scene, thereby missing MOST of the film's majesty.

[JonEricFlores]

I saw this movie alone in an empty theater after sneaking in some mini alcohol bottles and making my own makeshift cocktail. And I gotta say, it was one hell of a time. Loved it

[awllypollyas]

Seriously this movie is pretty damn good. I love how it represents the passage of time for other people, people who want to change and people who desperately hang onto their times. Bless this movie.

[kurtkunkle]

when they started singing "singing in the rain" at the end i could feel the nostalgia that manny experienced, having been there during the original production. its like we lived the career with the characters. this is one of very few 3+ hour movies that managed to not be boring.

[ethanstages]

I saw this movie with maybe 5 other people at a late night showing. Best movie experience I’ve had in years - no kid crying in my ear and no one talking down below me. Hearing the five or six of us laugh at the same parts sounded and felt amazing without filling the theater full of it. It was without a doubt a VERY much needed and refreshing movie. I personally didn’t love all 100% of the movie, but my god was it entertaining from the first second to the last. Damien got to stretch his legs with this one and TRULY show us what he can do. I want more of this.

[lawstshane]

I don’t get how anyone who loves film can hate the ending it’s one of the best endings ever it shows what the art of film has don’t over the years

[Star-Mac]

This movie gave the middle finger to the "real" Hollywood in all its dirt, grime and tragedy. I am traumatized by this movie. It's dramatic waves of dark OVERtones hit like a tsunami. Nothing in this movie was insidious nor gradual other than the looming fate of Nellie and Conrad. The second he starts walking down the long hotel corridor to his room, I knew he was going to end his life. The angle of the camera "peeking" into his room through the slightly ajar door was eerie. Nellie disappearing into the "darkness" was a haunting foreshadow of what would happen to her. The scenes with McKay were symbolic of the true underworld of Hollyweird that many of us know exists. Babylon is a profound punch in the gut. There is an element of this movie in every person's life.

[davidtolsky]

My favorite scenes in the movie are the ones that show early film production, especially the ones in the desert where literally 15 films or more are being shot simultaneously. I believe the film production techniques were accurate, although I don’t think a cameraman would have been allowed to suffocate in his little blimp house. I appreciated the mention of the 2709 camera, quite a popular camera of the time period. And when I saw the “1927” graphic appear, I knew what was coming, the emergence of sound and The Jazz Singer. Although I loved those scenes I’d never consider Babylon a masterpiece.

[aaronnerswick]

the movie is a masterpiece. after seeing twice i think i consider this my favorite movie from last year. my only issue that maybe they could have cut maybe 10 or so minutes like the party scenes could have been cut a tad shorter but other then that i loved this so much.

[thegoodthebadandtheugly]

It’s a beautiful, beautiful movie.. it starts a bit slow and seems a bit pointless, but then midway it gains traction and at the end I personally couldn’t stop myself crying. I didn’t expect to be hit with how beautiful the idea behind the movie is. And the idea is - we live our lives and we die whether achieved something or not, but what lives on is the idea. The idea of how we lived, the idea that we pursued and potentially felt we never reached, the idea of who we are which lives on in others who follow the same patterns, the idea of life itself. And all of this is beautifully captured like on a movie film, and the metaphor at the end of the movie where he watches movies and sees his own life, as if he died and is already watching his life back to himself. The nostalgic beautiful sadness pushes the tears through your eyes, unstoppably.

[amberspecter]

What impressed me the most in this film were the rythm and score, as well as the sound mixing. It absolutely benefits from viewing on a big screen, but, more importantly, it benefits from surround sound. The way the trumpets get louder as the camera pans closer to them, the booming sound that makes the intercutting silent moments feel surreal, then the beat starting up again, to take you into a new wild ride; all of that almost made me feel like I was phisically moving through the scenes myself

[nostromo]

The ending montage is a visual depiction of the truths mouthed by Elinor to help Jack understand his place, his role... his hurting. The movie Babylon is great because it teaches, reminds and warns us all about universal reality... all in a very entertaining way. I'm nobody... just a guy who retired five years ago and suffered enormously when I realised that I was being treated the same way I treated the old farts who retired before me. Just clean out and clear out and, you know, have a nice life. Chazelle's movie making theme is a microcosm of anything... everything. It is universal, this idea is enormous if you let it settle in a bit. I mean Chazelle clobbers us over the head with the message but nobody I know gets it... yet.

[goku]

This movie is insane, way too long and kind of up it’s own ass but I loved it! Maybe I’m just a sucker for these Goodfellas/Boogie nights-esque type movies but I enjoyed even if it went too far or felt like it dragged on at certain points. Really intense. My favorite scene was definitely the one where the critic gossip lady tells Jack about how his star is fading and there’s nothing he can do about it but how his films will forever immortalize him.

[julietwochholz]

I thought it was great. Chazelle understands the language of cinema and is not afraid to jump into the deep end. I loved his use of color, pacing, sound, music, juxtaposition, costume, set. He is fantastic with energy - the frenetic scenes are perfect and how that is contrasted later is used brilliantly to reflect changing Hollywood. There was a great use of humor as counterpoint to the tragedy.

[bertvsrob]

not just about the sun setting on people, but how that image can be captured and reportrayed as magic and beautiful, despite the messy reality of its history

[KrisInLove]

Think it's one of the best movies I've seen in awhile. Thank you to everyone involved with this project in creating something original and thought provoking.

[comegetzome]

The commercials for this movie were poorly done, but the movie itself was pretty good. It’s very rambunctious & honestly, Manny was the character that resonated with me. In the end, he stood as a man who saw that he played a part in something that continued on without him, & it doesn’t matter if anyone else knows that.