Film Preview: Babylon (2022)

Film Poster

Page Revisions:

(September 18, 2022) Original
(December 4, 2022) New Trailer (#2) — New Poster (#7)
(December 18, 2022) New Poster (#8)

Release Date:

December 25, 2022

Synopsis:

From IMDb: “Set in Hollywood during the transition from silent films to talkies, focusing on a mixture of historical & fictional characters.”

Poster Rating: B (6) / B / B

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Review: (#1-#6) This series of character posters all have the same golden glow and party situation, but they all feel similar enough to lack distinction.

(#7) It’s essentially a part of the prior design set, thus it has nothing interesting to offer.

(#8) A culmination of all the prior design styles into a single, fitting poster.

Trailer Rating: C+ / C

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Review: (#1) For your first trailer, this is a pretty expansive one, but it almost feels like they don’t anticipate building momentum to the film’s release and they are just throwing this out there. That’s a bit worrisome as the trailer does not heighten interest in the film very well. It doesn’t pull the viewer in with any measurable skill and ultimately feels cheap despite the expensive production values.

(#2) We get much less information about the plot than we should have and the trailer doesn’t sell more than the Bacchanalial thrust of the film and makes the entire film seem anachronistic, which will turn away some potential fans.

Oscar Prospects:

Damien Chazelle was a wunderkind director, but his second film, First Man, wasn’t well received by the Academy. This might be more in their wheelhouse as it’s about them, but it’s also a comedy about the underside of Hollywood. They might be willing to laugh at themselves, but I’m not sure they will. Lots of richly appointed sets, so it’s a contender below the line, but its absence from the festival circuit is also a bit worrisome.