There are SThere are many reasons to get excited about the upcoming release Babylon. Damien Chazelle is a great entertainer. He has made films like La La LandAnd WhiplashHe assembled an incredible cast to portray his hilarious tale of Hollywood’s excesses in the period when silent movies were replaced by talkies. Brad Pitt encouraged Margot Robbie to fight the snake in the movie’s trailer. The first screening of the epic 188-minute film was held in Beverly Hills.
Margot Robbie and Brad Pitt star in an ensemble that also features Jean Smart, Diego Calva and Tobey Maguire. This is expected to be a major film. contender for some 2023 Academy Awards. Let’s see what some of the first social media reactions can Tell us about Babylon.
Clayton Davis of VarietyCalls are a “high octane, cocaine-inducing trip,” praising Justin Hurwitz for the music, as well as Margot Robbie’s performance:
#Babylon is like reading Damien Chazelle’s story of Sodom & Gomorrah, and then hearing what he had to say about it. “hold my beer!”High-octane trip that induces cocaine addiction. The first half is excellent. This is likely to be the most popular movie on the internet. Margot Robbie, Justin Hurwitz are your stars. pic.twitter.com/aM3rru1so0November 15, 2022
Movie critic Maggie MaAlso mentions the music and mentions that Li Jun Li, who has previously appeared in several television series, is also mentioned. Sex/Life, Wu Assassins And QuanticoIt is truly a scene-stealer.
It’s definitely an exciting ride in #Babylon! But it’s also an interesting & crazy journey to revisit the history of Hollywood & Cinema . Enjoy the music and stars-packed casts. #MargotRobbie is a star. She is amazing. Li Jun Li steals every show. pic.twitter.com/xt6TUqE6sVNovember 15, 2022
Jeff NelsonThe movie is calling “daring”The experience is both a shock and an inspiration to the senses. This writer says you can feel director Damien Chazelle’s style throughout the three-hour affair:
#Babylon/#BabylonMovie is a daring Hollywood epic that utterly shocks the senses. Margot Robbie and Diego Calva deliver powerful performances. Damien Chazelle uses his trademark musicality and movement all throughout. Justin Hurwitz’s score is one hell of a wall of sound. pic.twitter.com/RTlL9WhaKaNovember 15, 2022
Josh Blumenkranz, meanwhile, is blown away by what he calls the director’s best work yet. This love letter to cinema took the moviegoer’s breath away:
BABYLON, what a movie! Cinema is a love letter. Damien Chazelle’s best film! It was amazing! It was a great time at the movies! Margot Robbie is a great actress! Bravo! #BabylonMovie #babylon #MargotRobbieNovember 15, 2022
It seems, however, that not every tweet about raving about is a good one. BabylonThat narrative has another hole. While some reactions call this Damien Chazelle’s best movie, there are also those like this one from critic Erick Weber, who has strong opinions about this not just being the director’s worst movie, but one of the worst films of the year:
I have some really — really — bad news to share with you, #Babylon’s a flaming hot mess, a tonal disaster, easily Damien Chazelle’s worst film & one of the worst films of 2022 💀November 15, 2022
Matt Donato from SlashFilmThe first hour is engaging and every performer gets their time. The movie’s overall character development is poor and the final result is chaotic. “bloated mess”:
#Babylon throttles forward with excessive momentum to start, the first hour(ish) easily engages — then the next two hours deflate. Chazelle is both enamored with the industry machine and disgusted by it, but his fantasies are woefully scattered. Chaotic, opulent and a bloated mess. pic.twitter.com/cX6ceIyPRRNovember 15, 2022
Perri Nemiroff from Collider lauds Justin Hurwitz’s score, as well as Margot Robbie’s acting prowess, but she agrees with the above assessment that Babylon isn’t able to support all of its key characters:
#Babylon has some incredibly strong sequences — especially the ones focused on Margot Robbie’s character — but overall lacked focus & couldn’t support so many key characters. Lots of interesting ideas in there but the manic visuals & story structure work for some and not others. pic.twitter.com/ZF6SJLeoXcNovember 15, 2022
Finally, Entertainment Weekly’s Joshua Rothkopf says the film is high-energy, but it doesn’t sound like that’s a good thing. He claims that BabylonIt fails to be intelligent and calls it “a Scorsese coke film by a squeaky clean director”:
Damien Chazelle brings buckets of energy to BABYLON, but it’s never not pounding and obvious and, finally, uninsightful. Everything about it is borrowed — even down to Tobey Maguire stealing the film as its Alfred Molina. Scorsese coke film with a clean director.November 15, 2022
It’s clear that audiences should expect a loud, long, chaotic adventure when Babylon hits theaters in December; however, it’s unclear how successful Damien Chazelle is at bringing his vision full circle. It will be interesting for critics to expand on their experiences when reviews are out. See also: what’s coming to theatersCheck out our updated 2022 schedule. 2023 Movie Release CalendarGet a glimpse at next year.