Mark Kermode reviews Babylon - Kermode and Mayo’s Take

#MarkKermode #SimonMayo #FilmReviews

A tale of outsized ambition and outrageous excess, it traces the rise and fall of multiple characters during an era of unbridled decadence and depravity in early Hollywood.

[SuperCitizenBane]

Whenever Kermode sighs heavily, you kno the review is gonna be lit!

[connorveach]

It’s strange how I agree with pretty much everything he says here and yet I still really liked Babylon.

[esock]

I love Babylon but I gotta admit, “Babylon and on and on” was very funny lol

[samuelbarber]

“How a film can have so much debauchery and still be uninteresting.” Great line

[PeteBrant]

Saw it this afternoon. I really enjoyed it. 2.5 hours flew by. The last 30 minutes could have been tighter but overall I was highly entertained.

[lmaololroflcopter]

I don’t know if releasing an 18 rated and 190 minute long film in this day and age is either an act of madness or an act of bravery. Maybe both.

[alex]

I loved it. It was stunning to watch. The ending wasn’t perfect but the journey was fun to be part of

[windsweptfilms]

Mark throwing his hands to the heavens as he re-enacts Margo Robbie's foisting is classic Kermode.

[englandcalling]

I just loved Simon's, clearly first-hand experience, of happening upon debauchery in the New Forest. You can have so much fun with a two-person tent and a Primus stove.

[markbuckingham]

I don’t agree with Mark here. I love love loved it. I’d wanted more! Ironically, I think it’s ahead of Mark’s time. The art form is changing. Loved it!

[powerplant.]

I love this film. I actually found it very moving, I really enjoyed spending time with all these characters and when it ended I felt genuine loss.

[mileslaw]

"It's like being yelled at for 3 hours."
Ya I felt that.

[bryan.e]

SPOT ON. I've been excited for two things this year: Dune Pt 2, and Kermode's Babylon review.

[PurushaDesa]

He's basically summing up my feelings about all Baz Luhrmann films.

[motherplayer]

Interesting. It's only really that quick and fast in the first hour and then it gets pretty slow from there. We go from hedonistic parties and madcap efforts to do period pieces to a whole sequence of Margot just trying to figure out how to act on a more discipline cue. I will say, enjoyed it more than most, it was a nice ride.

[Jackson-lonw]

I’m not saying it’s better than Singin in the Rain, but there’s one respect in which it’s more interesting. It actually has sympathy for its characters who are lost to time as they get run over by the changing industry. Singin in the Rain just treats Lina Lamont as the butt of a joke rather than a genuine tragedy. That’s why I’ve always preferred Sunset Boulevard’s version of that story.

[GiantSandles]

It’s bloated for sure and there are some moments where the vulgarity just feels a little forced, but there are such great scenes in it I don’t see how anyone could say it’s bad overall

[brocoolhurst]

All chaos, all fun. Nonsensical but had the best time ever. Rock star film

[YZaccount]

Mark, your review is the reason I avoided this movie. Tonight I saw it and it was great. Thanks?

Nothing is perfect, don’t let that ruin things. It’s a beautiful homage to the movies as a cultural phenomenon that we today perhaps take for granted. Took me right back to all the joy and thrills it has given me throughout my life. Loved it.

[michaelkennedy]

baffled by a lot of the dislike towards this tbh. doesn't feel messy at all and honestly wish it went on longer, certainly didn't feel 3 hours