UHD Review Babylon UHD Steelbook Review (1 Viewer)

[Neil Middlemiss]

The unabashed all-in nature of Babylon has an allure that’s surprising. While Damien Chazelle’s direction can be energetic, it also falls into repetition during the long run time, and some of the excesses are more than is needed, but the film never feels like it’s not making a point with every moment and cinematic scrap put on screen. For some, the wacky moments and gross punctations will be a joy, while for others, off-putting. In that, Babylon is art that divides and that’s nothing to sneer at. Despite being a box office disappointment, the film is impressive and will ferment a base of fans that will grow now that it’s available for home viewing. The running time will put some people off, and some word of mouth will make others dubious, but the film is quite something and certainly deserves to be given a chance.



Babylon (2022)



Released: 23 Dec 2022
Rated: R
Runtime: 189 min




Director:...

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[Todd Erwin]

I tried watching this on Paramount+ but turned it off after the first ten minutes.

 

[MartinP.]

^^^ You didn't even get to the title credit.

 

[Josh Steinberg]

I liked your take on this @Neil Middlemiss and wish I had enjoyed it overall as much as you did. I thought the first two hours were exhilarating filmmaking that captured the excesses of the era with thrilling verisimilitude. The third hour I just found to be relentlessly boring and dull, and I couldn’t wait for the movie to end so I could leave the theater. I get what the film was trying to do but I don’t think it succeeded in the end - in my opinion everything in that last hour could have been covered by an end credits title card explaining in a paragraph or two what happened to each character. It seemed so obvious from the get-go that everyone was living in an unsustainable flash of a moment in time, and watching it all fall apart neither told me anything I didn’t already know was coming, nor was it entertaining/enjoyable to watch. I can’t remember the last time I had such an extreme range of reactions to a single film.

 

[MartinP.]

I agree that the Toby Maguire segment slowed things down, unnecessary perhaps, but the last 1/2 hour made me appreciate the entire film more.

 

[TravisR]

I agree that the Toby Maguire segment slowed things down, unnecessary perhaps, but the last 1/2 hour made me appreciate the entire film more.

Yeah, I'm a big horror movie fan so the Tobey Maguire segment worked great on that level for me. That being said, I don't blame anyone who didn't care for that segment because the movie makes a big turn at that point.

 

[Mark Mayes]

I'm impressed that anyone could find anything redemptive in this picture-- except Jean Smart's speech. It was a messy bore apart from her for me. There's nothing drearier than watching actors try to be charming using affected guiless unconventionality.

 

[KeithDA]

The 4K was released today in the UK and I'm wondering if it has a mastering fault? At the 2:14:50 mark, when Nellie is on her knees pleading with Manny, her lips move but her dialogue disappears for a couple of lines then re-appears. Is this deliberate or an error...?

 

[Robert Harris]

The 4K was released today in the UK and I'm wondering if it has a mastering fault? At the 2:14:50 mark, when Nellie is on her knees pleading with Manny, her lips move but her dialogue disappears for a couple of lines then re-appears. Is this deliberate or an error...?

Could be final layer change

 

[KeithDA]

Could be final layer change

The subtitles also disappear too....
It's ironic that if this was a silent movie, you'd fill in the gaps yourself, but here I wonder what she's saying?!
Anyway, is this a disc problem or simply the way my Oppo 203 handles the layer change?

 

[KeithDA]

Anyway, is this a disc problem or simply the way my Oppo 203 handles the layer change?

Someone on the AV forums website says the same thing happens on their Panasonic 9000 player - looking more like a disc fault?
This evening I thought I’d check the Blu Ray version on the second disc, only to find that this disc only holds the extras and no Blu of the film…!