Babylon (2022): A Movie Review
Babylon is 3 hours and 9 minutes long, and would need to be 60 minutes to work. Could it be 60 minutes? Nope. No feature-length film could be.
And the way this one shows such an over-sized world, and takes time to saunter and hang-out there, there is no Earthly way to wrap it up even at the 90 minutes mark.
I think I see what Damien Chazelle was aiming for. He wants it wants to be an epic, irreverent, dark-but-funny exploration of Hollywood’s origins? An over-the-top parody that can’t be taken seriously, with serious social commentary? Both a critique and love letter to a magical but decadent and depraved industry? An action-packed, bloody, disgusting joyride, as well as an epic meditation?
A serious parody. A 189 minutes long, gruelling joyride. Ah, shit. Maybe something like that could work, but this movie does not.
If the film could end 60 minutes in, I would have reviewed it as an over-the-top, gross-out parody, with some surprisingly funny moments, though cringeworthy and contrived in moments and obviously provocative in others. A weird Tarantino/Baz Luhrmann/Paul Thomas Anderson/David Lynch knock-off, but functional as a big, loud, high-energy viewing experience that viscerally entertains on some levels, explores the depravity of Hollywood in others, and which plenty will be entertained by. A curious…
