Review – Babylon (2022) directed by Damien Chazelle.

Watched on January 3rd, 2023
Rating: 5/5 Stars

*The first chunk of this review is a rant about terrible my theater experience, feel free to scroll to below the stars below if you wanna get straight to my thoughts*

Really glad I sat with this one instead of immediately typing out my thoughts in the parking lot. I think I would've been swayed by the emotions I was feeling after what may have been the worst theater experience of my life. Thank god I was still able to appreciate the movie but I swear I was pushed so close to the edge before I would've completely lost it. I'm surprised I didn't. The people sitting behind me were genuinely the rudest and most out of touch movie-goers I've ever been with. These people WOULD NOT SHUT UP for the entire movie. And this is a 3 HOUR MOVIE. And it wasn't just whispering between friends; even that would have been better than what happened today. No, they were cracking jokes and speaking every thought that came to mind at a normal, sometimes even louder voice volume, occasionally talking over the film itself. The entire 3 hours, they were making jokes and shrieking and audibly reacting to everything. I heard it all from "this movie is so dumb" to "what is this even about" to "just give [this character] some pussy" to literal shrieks and screams at scenes that did not beg for that kind of reaction at all. All of which at a normal or loud volume. As rude as it was, it would've been one thing if it was just me and my friend and them, but there were at least 4 other groups of people in this theater so that kind of behavior just was so off-putting. I'm not trying to be some sort of behavior police or tell people how to watch a movie or act in public, but have people forgotten what movie theater etiquette (or any type of theater etiquette) is?? Like, you're allowed to react to a movie, I'm a firm believer that it's fine to have genuine reactions when things happen in a movie; I'm not gonna tell you to stop crying or hold in a laugh when something happens, those genuine emotional reactions are some of the best things that films can make you do. But Jesus Christ a movie theater is not your fucking living room where you can say whatever you want whenever you want just because you're thinking it or because you think it's funny. You're ruining the experience for others and honestly making them uncomfortable just being there with you. Like I was genuinely appalled with how anyone could believe that acting like that is okay. Sure, I'm a huge movie buff and movie theater advocate who values the theater experience but even the average movie-goer would not have been happy with what I went through.

I don't know if this is fully Marvel's fault, maybe it's a mix between Marvel and Covid-19 but I blame Marvel movies for making people think they can say or do anything in a movie. And I blame Covid-19 for how lax people have become with basic theater etiquette. I feel like it's really not hard to just let people enjoy a movie and save your main thoughts for when the movie ends. Have some respect and self-awareness for others.

And on top of all this, they left all of their trash at their seats. At least be a decent person and throw away your damn trash, movie theater employees do enough for us to make the experience special, don't shit in their face by giving them unnecessary work to do. Makes me so angry.

***

Now, about the actual movie. Despite how frustrating it is that this experience is now associated with this movie, I actually loved this movie. This is the kinda movie I've been craving. I definitely went in expecting one thing and got something else entirely. Too often do I just watch movies (and granted I enjoy them and like to think about it), but I movie too quickly onto the next one and just watch movies and let them pass by. This is the kinda movie that's just lingering in my brain, makes me want to fixate on it for hours, days, the entire year. It really stimulated and stirred something inside of me and just make me feel some kind of way. Like Chazelle's other stuff, this film is just so exhilarating, electric, and SNAPPY. And a lot of that is due to this film's music, one that I truly feel was meant to be played in a theater with great sound; my heart was truly racing at moments and this film felt so alive. Pair one of the best scores I've heard in a long time with some of the most incredible editing I've ever seen and you've got this film. The way this movie balances so much with it's editing is a marvel; not only is the cross-cutting between so many scenes within one sequence just breathtaking but you truly can't take your eyes off it. I was in disbelief so many times at how well done so many fast paced sequences were. The acting was great, and I'm particularly impressed with Diego Calva, and I'm certain this film is gonna be his big break that pushes him into stardom and an amazing career ahead of him, he's unbelievably talented.

This movie's third act was one of the craziest things I've ever seen. A lot of really bold directorial choices were made by Chazelle and I respect him a lot for it. I'm still grappling with how I feel about everything that went down in the last act of this film, and I kind of love how conflicted it's making me feel. I thought it was going to end at least 3 times at moments it didn't, and the journey it takes and leaves us off at is something truly wild. Chazelle and his endings, this is one that's going to be talked about a lot, that is with those who see this. On a quick side note – really upset that this isn't doing well. I get that a 3 hour movie like this isn't for everyone, especially modern audiences, but it's a shame that movies with this much thought and intention and statement and art don't get the kind of eyes (and brain) that something like a thoughtless capitalist studio-driven dinosaur movie from a franchise that's been milked way too long gets. It just feels like the average person doesn't want to think about movies anymore than 15 minutes after they leave the theater other than (that was fun). And I know that when I say things like this, I've got my head up my ass because I'm a film nerd who lives for stuff like this, but it's really upsetting to see stuff like this not get supported and that everyone prefers cheap thrills over actually stimulating art. I'm pretentious, shoot me, but this issue definitely irks me nonetheless.

Anyways, that ending. I don't think anyone could've seen that coming but holy shit if that didn't give me chills and absolutely shock me. Had me sitting through the entire credits, eventually gushing with my friend briefly before leaving. I've got a lot of thoughts on just how this ending made me feel, but holy shit. Unbelievable.

I needed a movie like this. More of this. I keep waffling between whether I actually think this is 5 stars or if I'm just so enamored by how this movie tickled my brain, but I think that's enough for me, if a film engrains itself in my head like this and makes me unbelieved enraptured by its existence. This is a marvel. Wow. If you watch this movie please talk to me about it. Bravo Damien Chazelle, bravo.

Also I’m not sure how I came to this but this film feels like it's the movie that Baz Luhrmann's Elvis wishes it was. Don't really know how to explain this but this just feels accurate lol

Check out the original review posted on Letterboxd here.