Babel Review

I watched Babel today. After doing so I decided to put up my very first Movie Review for this brand new blog of mine. So here it goes.

First of all about Babel. I actually am quite fond of the title, very significant in the overall plot. The movie is the third in a trilogy by Alejandro Innaritu, following both Ammore Perros and 21 Grams. The story is about miscommunication, as judged from the title, and revolves around three stories set in Morroco, Mexico and Japan. In Morroco, two boys play with a rifle and accidentally shoot a tourist bus, wounding a woman and enraging America in what is called a "terrorist attack". In Mexico a nanny, determined to attend her son's wedding, brings two children over the U.S. border. And finally in Japan a deaf-mute girl struggles with life and its deformities.

Now I can't help but compare this to last year's Crash, mostly because both use the same method of storytelling, individual storied coincidentally connected by some common link. One thing I found dissapointing in Babel was that, unlike Crash, it's stories were predictable and thus somewhat normal. Innaritu is charged with telling a stoy filled with meaning and a message, but it kind of loses its power if you already knew what was in a letter before it was handed to you, regardless of the content. That is to say, despite it's somewhat predictable storyline, Babel was good where it counts, on the themes of these stories. The use of a deaf-mute girl, the terrorist fear of America and the woes of immigrants and illegal foreign workers al help add to the main theme, miscommunication, and as tthe story moves along, it has a solid writing that keeps the film stuck to its original purpose.

Another problem of the story is this: while all three stories were excellent in their own way, no doubt, I found the Japan piece to be somewhat weakly linked, I hesitate to say unimportant as it IS important in developing the idea of miscommunication, but it seemes to have nearly no connection to the other two storylines. And when the link between them is revealed it stand only for a few minutes before it is completely forgotten. Unlike Crash, Babel seems more intent on speaking three different stories about the same thing rather than one whole story in three different things. I don't know about others but I find the latter more effective.

The directing by Innaritu was superb, the styles varied in each location and the methods he used to bring the message across where unique in their own ways. But it wasn't perfect. I found that Innaritu seemed to have shown a lot of diversity and richness in Mexico, somewhere I'm sure he is more familiar to, yet it is more weakened in Morroco and almost non-existent in Japan. That is to say that his pacing was nothing incredible as well. Although he manages to get points across, they do so without full impact. He underlies several hints and supporting accounts but the main characters themselves seem to contradict the theme with their own stupidity. Look I know about human nature and all, but at some parts I couln't help wondering how the characters seem at times to be so dumb. It kind of destroys the mood. Make no mistake, Innaritu packs a punch, but in this film, it's more like a whole lot of weak smaller punches than one powerful knock-out. And for a film that depends on the success of the combined strenght of three great stories, getting a knock-out should be the main goal.

The acting was great, emotions were everywhere and I was impressed even by Brad Pitt. Dakota Fanning's younger sister seems to be getting some of her sister's acting chops. Although there were only a few actors (Rinko Kikuichi and Adrian Brianza in particular) deserves to be noted for the big awards, the overall cast is solid competition for SAG's Best Ensemble Cast award. Their acting wasn't only good, it was very, very good, it's as simple as that.

The score was fitting, and great when it needed to be but wasn't and when it didn't have to be. There is a difference between not being great when there is no need to be and not being great when it shouldn't be. In that aspect, I found it solid but not fantastic, but of course that goes more on the techincal side. Editing seems to replay the same style as the previous films, although I have to say it was cleaner here thanit was in 21 Grams. At the very least I had no problems understanding the pace.

On a different note I founs something very infuriating about the entire ecpirience. It has nothing to do about the film but rather on the MTCRB. They rated the film as PG-13. I was surprised when I first heard that but thought that maybe the movie wasn't that explicit.

I was wrong.

The movie showed all kinds of stuff way not suitable for 13 year olds and under. A girl provokes sex by taking out her underpants and revealing her femal genitalia, they behead chickens that still walk despite the lack of a head, lots of blood, shooting of children, torture and police brutality, terrorism views, frontal nudity, drug and much much more. I personally don't fins any of them that disturbing, they were all used for the higher purpose and intent of the film, but for the MTCRB to allow little kids to see these in a film!? What were they thinking, an R-13 would have sufficed with me, but this shows just blatant ignorance on the part of the board. Oh yeah sure, "Da Vinci Code" was waaay too much for little kids but a movie with lots of nudity, drugs, killing and stuff are fine... right....

Overall I appreciated the movie and to an exctent enjoyed it as a film art. Emotionally I found it a bit depressing in mood with only a slight uplift at the end. But it isn't a classic, nor will it be. I see the reasone why it was nominated, maybe even for it's win in the golden globe Best Picture. It equally deserves its place in the Oscar Nomination. The win, however, I feel it still hasn't quite achieved.

8.3 Out of 10