‘Babylon’ review: Dir. Damien Chazelle (2023)

Unpredictability is something that is becoming rarer and rarer in modern Hollywood. Nostalgia is easily the most valuable currency and has proven its worth time and time again. This isn’t to say that Hollywood hasn’t always been fascinated with itself. After all, it comes with the territory. But, with La La Land and Once Upon a Time in Hollywood both hitting multiplexes over the last decade, it’s clear that there’s a specific appetite for artistically stimulating takes on Tinseltown’s history. Now, the director of the former, Damien Chazelle, has returned to shine a dazzling new light on a different era of Hollywood in Babylon.

Babylon is an epic, sprawling journey that tells the story of Hollywood’s transition from silent to sound films, from the point of view of multiple characters in different areas of the industry. Make no mistake, this film is extremely long and it’s easy to see why audiences may but put off by a runtime clocking in at 7 minutes longer than Avengers: Endgame. But, for those viewers hungering for a big, loud, beautifully directed, character-driven extravaganza that doesn’t even contain one whiff of aliens or superpowers, this will astound. It also benefits from the rarity of an R rating (18 in the UK) which gives it the unique freedom to not hold back on any punches. Which it achieves in a wonderfully shocking fashion.

This is a love letter to film, Hollywood, and most importantly, cinema as an art form in and of itself. For all the staunch defenders of blockbuster cinema after Martin Scorsese’s ‘theme park’ remarks, this is the sort of film that can only truly be described as art. As someone who adores all forms of cinema, but especially those that come in the shape of capes and costumes, this is an experience that reminded me for the first time in many years why I fell in love with the big screen in the first place.

Top to bottom this film delivers on all cylinders, from the incredible performances to the absolutely wild visuals and Justin Hurwitz’s mesmerising, booming score. A true delight that is enhanced significantly by the biggest screen possible. It does beg the question of how much this experience will be diluted by watching at home or through an iPad screen. With its potentially problematic runtime for some, one would imagine that this is something many will choose to ingest in multiple segments as a semi-streaming binge. We can only hope that the majority of moviegoers opt for it as it was meant to be seen.

Margot Robbie and Brad Pitt are predictably fantastic as two actors on opposite ends of their careers, but sharing the exact same downfall in beautifully poetic parallels. The real breakout star of the film, however, is undoubtedly Diego Calva as Manny Torres. Calva acts as our entry point to the ludicrously exciting, drug-fuelled, debaucherous world of Hollywood in the 20s. As we follow his journey from a wide-eyed film enthusiast to a full-blown executive, he superbly conveys wonder, innocence, and love with gorgeous authenticity.

It would be a crime worthy of his character to not mention Tobey Maguire’s scene-stealing turn as mob boss James McKay. After making his triumphant comeback to the big screen as Spider-Man, Maguire returns in a small but incredibly memorable role. Demonstrating charm, menace, and humour, it’s clear he’s a star that’s been far too under-utilised for too long.

Babylon is a Hollywood tribute that indulges in its own beauty, but never to a fault. It never fails to remember what it is, what it stands for, and what story it’s telling. Surprisingly few films with budgets and A-listers as big as this actually possess the ability to successfully generate shocks, tears, awe, laughs, and excitement. This could easily be described as the love child of The Wolf of Wall Street, La La Land, and The Great Gatsby. And while those comparisons are fair, this digs deeper and dreams bigger than those films ever dared to go.

Babylon is released in UK cinemas on 20th January 2023.