Babylon (2022) Movie Review

Damien Chazelle’s latest film “Babylon” takes us back to the 1920s, during the transition from silent films to talkies, and explores the magic of Hollywood, the tireless pursuit of perfection, and the cost of fame. The film’s protagonist is Manny Torres (Diego Calva), a Mexican American who is trying to get an elephant to an insane Hollywood party. Chazelle uses the debaucherous party scene to introduce us to the ensemble cast, which includes Nellie LaRoy (Margot Robbie), an aspiring actress whose star is about to rise, Jack Conrad (Brad Pitt), a silent film star about to leave his third wife, and a jazz trumpet player named Sidney (Jovan Adepo), among others.

Chazelle’s film is a stunning piece of work, with individual scenes, performances, and tech elements that are nothing short of remarkable. However, it’s difficult to determine whether the film is worth the trip. The director gives lip service to the idea that the cost of fame and the punishing pursuit of perfection are worth it, but the way he drags his characters and the viewers through so much misery makes it hard to believe him. Chazelle takes a robustly unapologetic approach to the story, and while it may be intentional, it makes the audience feel manipulated and deluded, much like the outsiders who are eaten up by the Hollywood machine.

The ensemble cast is undoubtedly one of the strongest elements of the film, led by another fearless turn from Robbie and a star-making one from Calva. But it’s Pitt who stands out, conveying a sense of lost glory that feels almost personal. He has been a star for over 30 years, and he imbues his performance with a relatable melancholy that gives the entire film the depth that it needs in a few more places.

Chazelle takes an ambitious approach, focusing on the ascending arcs of the outsiders, who don’t understand that they’re part of a system that values them about as much as it does the equipment it needs to shoot the films. Even the star Jack Conrad will discover how disposable legends can be. All of them become power players in their own way, with Nellie holding the screen in a way that few actresses other than Robbie could convincingly convey, Sidney’s musical talent ascending as sound takes over the silents, and Manny’s increasing decision-making power on set. Although there’s an underdeveloped love story between Manny and Nellie, the film is more about the love of movies and Hollywood history than romance.

Chazelle’s commitment to the film elevated his team of craftspeople. Linus Sandgren's fluid cinematography gives the film a lot of its momentum, while Justin Hurwitz’s score might be the best of the year, finding recurring themes for its characters that give the entire piece more of a sense of opera. The production design straddles the line between feeling genuine and larger than life, and the historical detail and urban legends are overwhelming.

However, there are elements of the film that feel hollow from the very beginning, such as the narrative itself. The intercutting of the stories sometimes feels like it gets away from the excellent editor Tom Cross, but that's more a product of Chazelle's occasionally unfocused script than anything in the editing room. "Babylon" is a test of whether or not a film can be the sum of its gorgeous parts. While there are undeniable individual components, the narrative feels like it’s missing something.

In conclusion, Damien Chazelle's "Babylon" is a visually stunning film with an all-star cast and talented crew, including a remarkable score by Justin Hurwitz and fluid cinematography by Linus Sandgren. Chazelle's commitment to historical detail and his ambitious approach to storytelling give the film a sense of grandeur and weight, but it falls short in its execution. The script is often unfocused, and the film's attempts to explore the punishing pursuit of perfection in Hollywood feel hollow and manipulative.

Ultimately, "Babylon" is a cautionary tale about the price of ambition and the cost of success in Hollywood. It's a film that reminds us of the hard work, broken dreams, and luck that go into making the movies we love. While it may not be a perfect film, it's an impressive and memorable piece of cinema that's worth watching for its visual spectacle and talented cast.