A Love Letter To Hollywood’s Golden Age

Starring Margot Robbie, Brad Pitt, and Diego Calva, Babylon is a profound love letter to cinema.

Intro

Starring Margot Robbie, Brad Pitt, and Diego Calva, Babylon is an unapologetically realistic, shockingly profound, and highly entertaining love letter to cinema. Taking place throughout the golden age of Hollywood, the film follows the rise and fall of several stars throughout the industry. From gambling to addiction to corruption, the movie's uncut portrayal of showbiz paints a sincerely intense image of Hollywood during the 1920s to 1930s. Filled with fantastic acting, powerful music, and an abundance of comedy, Babylon is one of the year's best films.

Acting & Vibrant Themes

The primary and supporting cast members showcase spectacular performances, with no weak links or awkward/cringe scenes. Margot (playing Nellie LaRoy) delivers as expected with an intense, fiery depiction of a blazing young star's rise to fame. Pitt (playing Jack Conrad) delivers a veteran performance portraying an established film star's fall from the top. But it's Diego Calva (playing Manny Torres) that surprisingly pulls through, creating a character that essentially acts as the glue that holds the movie together. The rest of the cast performs incredibly well, but it's these three that drive most of the film forward. Another critical aspect of the movie is the visuals and colors incorporated, particularly during the extravagant party scenes. These captivating visuals create a vibrancy around the film during certain scenes and sharply contrast it with tame scenes subsequently. These transitions from wild to tame throughout the movie represent the steep highs and lows that characters go through in their lives.

Amplifying Music & Comedy

The film keeps the audience thoroughly entertained with an abundance of humor. Every character is subject to comedic scenes, which serve as relaxers before the next intense act of the film ensues. And while the comedy is excellent, the acting is phenomenal, and the visuals are splendid, it's the music that takes the entire experience to a different level. Every critical scene accompanies an intense soundtrack that completely transforms its interpretation. From party to emotional to action-packed scenes, everything becomes highly amplified by the BGM. It's hard to describe how complex the film really is. It's a mess of vibrance, humor, drama, romance, reflection, sin, and music, yet it allows these things to coincide to form an entertaining experience.

Closing Critiques

The one major flaw of the film is its run time. While 3-hour movies are not new, the majority often include unnecessary storylines/scenes that may draw the movie out longer than it needs to be. The film's first half is so intense and shockingly entertaining that it will go by in a flash. The last hour, however, starts to feel dull before increasing in intensity and finishing the film with a bang. There's no reason not to see this movie in theaters, as it's one of the best of the year.

Raving Rating: 7.8