User Reviews

A Visually Striking, Emotionally Wrenching Global Mosaic Babel is a challenging and emotionally resonant film that uses its fragmented structure to explore universal themes of connection, isolation, and miscommunication. While the multi-narrative format isn't new, director Alejandro González Iñárritu uses it effectively, tying together disparate stories in ways that feel both grounded and poetic. The performances are excellent, especially Rinko Kikuchi and Adriana Barraza, who convey deep vulnerability and strength with minimal dialogue. Brad Pitt and Cate Blanchett provide quieter, more internal work that still manages to land emotionally. The cinematography is stunning across the board—from the harsh Moroccan deserts to the neon-drenched stillness of Tokyo. It’s not a perfect film. The pacing can be uneven, and some viewers may find the connections between the stories too slight or symbolic. But the emotional weight and thematic ambition far outweigh any structural flaws. It doesn’t offer easy answers or tidy conclusions—and that’s what makes it stick. Final Verdict:Babel isn’t just about language—it’s about what’s lost and found in the human attempt to understand one another. Thoughtful, difficult, and quietly powerful. 8/10 – Boldly constructed and deeply moving, even when it stumbles.

Babel is a very heavy movie, 4 story connected to one another in some way, with all 4 of them fills with a very intense, intriguing, personal, and depressing story, it's superbly perform by all the cast, a very engaging film for near two in a half hours runtime, all the way through, Babel is a hell of a journey, hell of a story, hell of a performances, and hell of a movie, Babel is incredible.

This film reminds me of the movie crash in that it follows multiple storylines that are connected, this format helped him win an Oscar for Birdman. The movie as a whole has a good message about how even though we have different languages or cultures we are connected because we are all humans.

A movie (without particular praise) you can easily forget about. But it must be said that even worse than that has been made.

Babel completes the Alejandro Iñárritu trilogy. Of all three films personally for me, Babel is the weakest. In the first of 3 stories, Japanese history is connected literally by 1 event. Second, Babel doesn't have many deaths, and it's not a pardon of the death trilogy. Looking Babel there is no such gravity as when watching 2 previous films. The drama itself does not live, which is surprising for the film Iñárritu. Well, personally, it seemed to me that the story was under-told. Still, I consider Amores Perros the best film in the trilogy

Pretentiousness aside, this movie is just meh and not even worth the 75 word character limit required to post this review. 45/100

I loved how everything was connected.They were some akward and unneeded parts but everything else was incredibly played. Heck I even felt bad for the Kid's in Morocco and I loved how everything was connected in different **** would have though that a gift can have such a huge impact on the lifes of so many. Loved the message of the movie and the acting was top notch.

Probably the most impressive thing about "Babel" is that it manages to tell accurate stories from several different cultures. It follows a wheel story format, molding several different stories into one. It contains a very powerful theme, but it didn't come off as overly preachy, and its visuals where fairly effective.

is actually crystal clear.. Babel Starring : Brad Pitt, Cate Blanchett, Gael Garcia Bernal and Rinko Kikuchi Writer : Guillermo Arriaga Director : Alejandro G. Inarritu 4 out of 5 Babel follows up four different tales that are somehow interconnected with its pragmatic and three dimensional characters, and binding it all lies a metaphorical poem that depicts the innocence, mistakes and the consequences it breeds as the next-or-any-for-that-matter generation springs. There have been plenty of such features that focuses on various sub-plots that sometimes are either connected or not connected, but this one stands alone for despite of ticking for around 140 minutes, the feature keeps the audience engaged and on the edge of the seat which is somewhat of a milestone in its own way. The script is gripping, thought-provoking and well structured, especially its approach to the plot track, whether it be crossover or an individual, is just breath-taking. It is shot beautifully and is rich on its technical aspects like cinematography, background score, sound effects, art design and editing. Alejandro G. Inarritu; the director, as usual doesn't disappoint on its execution, whether then it be to create complex entity among characters or emotions that pours out like rain on screen. The feature scores majestically on performance where every supporting cast- there isn't any definite protagonist in here whose story is followed, it is a plot driven feature- (Brad Pitt, Cate Blanchett and Gael Garcia Banel) is giving its all in to factor in on the bigger picture. Babel is actually crystal clear on its vision that it anticipated to share, and is also sharp on flaunting it through nerve fleshing visuals.

**** "butterfly effect" drama. The analogy of a troubled world due the assorted languages works as well in the three stories tied by an absurd accident. Majestic job of Gustavo Santaolalla in the score.

"Babel" is the type of movie that can fail after one small misstep. But director Alejandro G. Iñárritu is very careful to ensure that it doesn't. "Babel" might not be as strong as some of the other works by this director, (Amores Perros) but "Babel" still packs an emotional punch for anyone. There are four different stories taking place during this film, and you might not like all of them, but at least one of them will make you cry at some point. (In my case, two of them) Brad Pitt is absolutely spectacular in this movie, along with many child actors that surprised me with how good their performances were.

One of Inarritu's finest earlier works, Babel succeeds as a drama with a real human heart, and gets its message across easily. It requires patience to watch, but is a must-see for film buffs.

A beautifully interwoven story of the human condition and dealing with loss that spans continents, Babel is a truly marvelous work from director Alejandro Gonzalez Inarritu. The film crafts wonderfully deep characters who walk, talk, and act like real human beings experiencing these events. Even better, it treats them all equally and never points fingers, instead making us feeling incredible amounts of sympathy even for those who made mistakes. The acting is superb and this compliment extends to the entire cast, not just Hollywood a-listers Brad Pitt and Cate Blanchett. The writing is fantastic and the film never drags, even in its slower parts. Additionally, the nonlinear storytelling is never a problem and the film lets you know when each piece is taking place with no confusion. Overall, Babel is a stirring and deeply touching examination of loss and humanity.

I think, and I am being completely serious here, that this might just be the worst movie I have ever seen. It's just so bloody boring and predictable and don't get me started on the bloody Japanese girl because Jesus Christ was that painful to sit through. Even Brad Pitt can't pull this movie out of the dips of hell. It's just that bad!

Babel tells the story of intertwining narratives across several characters and their lives, and how their predicaments are interrelated. A nanny is eager to attend her son's wedding, but she is unable to find a temporary babysitter for two children she is charged with guardianship over. Thus she decides to take the children with her across border to Mexico. The children's parents are travelling in Morocco, and while on a touring bus, the wife is shot by a native Moroccan boy, who is with his brother trying out a his father's rifle on a mountaintop. The father of the two boys, Ibrahim Hassad, is now wanted by the local police and for a part of the plot, attempts his escape after discovering the shooting which has now also become an international story. Finally the rife was given to him prior to the events of the story by a Japanese man who was hunting in Morocco. The man believed he had a formidable hunting guide, and as a token of his gratitude, gives the guide this rifle, which eventually is sold to the father of these two boys. The film itself overall was very engaging, and due to the multiple characters and the dimensional plot, the audience will remain very interested in what happens next, and ultimately how it ends. However, the necessity of some of the characters certainly comes into question as the film draws to its close. For example, the Japanese man's purpose in the story was solely that he had given a rifle to a Moroccan hunting guide. However there is a subplot to his life, in that he has a daughter who deals with how her peers perceive her deafness, and a wife who committed suicide, however her method of suicide is purposely posed in the film as an undiscovered truth with some suggestions. The daughter's character is probably the most interesting character in the film, and the director's portrayal of her deaf experience is admirable and prone to empathy. However, the daughter's purpose in the overall plot that attempts to bring narratives to crossroads is a painfully pointless appendix, and a frustrating hindrance to the story. She does not affect the film in anyway if she were to be removed, especially the detail of the dead wife. Besides the daughter who is actually a character that poses dimension, humanized situations that create an engaging audience, the other characters, with the slight exception of the boy who shot the American woman, are very uninteresting. In a general sense, one would wish that the American women survives, but sadly if she did not, hearts wouldn't be broken. She isn't a character that the story makes you care for, and neither is Brad Pitt's. Some of the events are also rather implausible and poorly conveyed. For instance, a nanny who is both an an illegal immigrant and employee of these two American parents, would certainly take extra caution and perhaps sacrifice her opportunity to attend her son's wedding in order to avoid putting the two children in serious danger, and to keep her own life secure and prevent deportation. Regardless of this very true point, the plot still, has this way of being very engaging. While the Japanese daughter is the most interesting character in the film, she takes serious risks with a legal official, by attempting to lure to perform sexual activity with her. While her desire for a sexual life which perhaps remains deprived and unexperimented with her condition, her choice of risk is not believable. The story was very well presented and the film was beautifully expressed. But expression can be beautiful and also pointless, and the film tends to possess this quality of great plot drive, but to no avail. The film is a journey with a destination that is frustrating, because the journey should not have set off in the first place, but for reasons unmentioned it simply fails to be a great movie, and a bad movie.

This film is similar to Crash in the way the narrative is setup, although it is tackling different issues. I just got around to watching it in 2015, although it came out in 2006. The directing and camera work were well done, but really what moved me was some of the supporting acting. Brad Pitt is in the film and while I am a fan and he did well, his is not the acting I am referring to. In specific two of the supporting actresses (who were nominated for academy awards as a result of this film) really stood out and those are Adriana Barraza and Rinko Kikuchi. Jennifer Hudson ended up winning the academy award and that was such a mistake. I think either of these other two actresses deserved it more. Of the two Kikuchi who plays a teenage deaf girl in Japan provided one of the most moving performances I have seen in a very long time and she did it without speaking any English, actually without speaking at all with the exception of sign language or writing notes. Many of the scenes where she has to convey what her character is feeling and experiencing she does so with her eyes and facial expressions.

Dull, boring and uninteresting characters. I can't believe there is so much critical acclaim for such a terrible movie. The characters are bad, especially that of the Japanese girl.

One of the most underrated movies about the development of human nature in wilderness, urban surroundings. It also tells very emotional and comprehensible stories about miscommunication as the source for conflict and personal tragedies | BUT | prepare some snacks cause that movie unfortunately got stretched way too long for his own good

Una obra maestra en todo sentido. Babel se desarrolla en 4 lugares distintos cada lugar tiene a sus personajes y cada personaje tiene sus conflictos pero en general todos los personajes comparten una relación con los demás, aunque algunos nunca se llegan a ver en toda la película, eso es lo grandioso de esta película, que podemos conocer profundamente la historia y situación de cada personaje y ademas de compartir un conflicto mundial con los demás personajes.

Babel is a mixed bag.While it does not feel very long, its main defect is its length. A shorter movie with tighter focus would have had a greater dramatic impact without having to sacrifice its social message. The colonialist attitudes killed any sympathy for the central characters. But overall, it is still engaging and still worth seeing.

This movie is a symbol of power to seek peace and reconciliation in each country and a help for the human superation and equality. Gonzalez Inarritu makes magnificent award-winning films such as " Birdman" go forward by " The Revenant" .

It's the worst movie I ever seen. It tries to connect the life of people from different cultures but it actually reinforces negative stereotypes such as Hispanic people as partying all the time and being irresponsible, Arab people as being agressive and rudimentary and Asians as behaving creepy. And, of course, it places the American family as the cornerstone for the storyline, like they are the normal people in a chaotic world. I really don't get what the autors want to say, like "oh, great Americans, be careful because the world is full of creeps and irresponsible people but you do everything all right?"

Interestingly, the reviews of this movie provide an amazing insight into how stupid the average Movie goer in the U.S. really is. Take a read of some of the negative reviews. Seriously its like monkey got on a computer somewhere and just spewed inane garbage all over metacritic. This is a very good film with a great deal of emotional and intellectual appeal. I think they represented the cultures and the dysfunction really well while keeping the movie interesting by bouncing the story around in 3 parts. Really good movie if you are not a chimp, highly recommended. P.S. if you liked any of the transformer movies, this is not the film for you.

I thought that overall it was a pretty well-made movie. At the start I thought the subtitles were going to be distracting, but after a while it became second nature. I thought that the transitions between each of the different stories worked really well and wee well timed and that most camera angles worked well. The acting was plain up until half way through the film, and I thought that Brad Pitt's character grew throughout the film. The storyline itself, was pretty good, except I would have loved to see a bit more knots tied toward the end of the film, answering some questions that are still left unanswered. The Lighting throughout the film worked well, as it was used in good detail and helped to tell the story better. The lighting wasn't too dark either, which is good. I think the music and sounds worked really well, I especially love when the audience is put in inaudible as it makes the audience fell that sense of hopelessness. The film didn't contain many special effects and I think in some cases, these could have been used to enhanced the film. I particularly like the scene where they are in the nightclub in Japan, I think that the lighting in this scene is great, the way it confuses the audience, but yet still shows them what they are supposed to see.

The performances are poignant, the camerawork is stimulating, the four stories interlock brilliantly, and in spite of some moderate pacing issues, "Babel" makes for a supremely thought-provoking trip.

I thought this was absolutely incredible! Excellent film making in my opinion. Director Alejandro Gonzalez Inarritu takes another multi-faceted story but this time, he perfects it! Babel is even better than his 21 Grams of 2003. The story is emotional; the characters are fascinating; the music is gripping and the script is wonderful. The acting is outstanding. How Jennifer Hudson won an Oscar over Rinko Kikuchi or Adriana Barraza I don't know, both were absolutely stunning. A great film about people and communication! Nominated for 7 Academy Awards including Best Picture, Babel is one of the best films of 2006!

Babel, which borrows its title from the Genesis 11 account of the moment in history when God scrambled humankind's languages and locations to limit our effectiveness at achieving corporate evil, is a masterpiece of raw cinematic emotion hung on a framework of muddled messages and extreme content. As an exercise in empathy, Iñárritu's stories nailed me. Once I bought into the characters and their settings (and to the director's credit, I bought hard), every moment of the film was drenched in anxiety, sorrow and dread. The fact that not all of the tales end in utter loss offered little relief. And the movie's sadness hung with me long after I left the theater.

This is one of the five worst films I have ever seen. Insanely boring and pointless. Dullness for the sake of dullness. Saying nothing as a pretentious "message." Spare me.

What a boring movie, it might have a background message but to me it seemed a totally UNNECESSARY MOVIE, brings nothing fresh to the viewer and it's nothing that you haven't seen in the news. It's like watching the news but with actors.

Great movie .

It tries to do so much, but this nonlinear mess of a film has nothing to offer but some short snippets of great acting. It is original, but not all original ideas are good ones.

I thoroughly enjoyed this movie, but am not exactly sure what I liked about it. It's somewhat depressing and certainly isn't action-packed. Definitely worth watching.

I was thinking about the possible things I could colour my life with after seeing this ..yeah what exactly was it, sure it wasn't a movie. So don't **** behind rocks or your brother will euhm..miss. Don't spy on your sister or your father will do the clap-dance. Never travel or your kids may die in the desert. If you're in a desert, then don't leave any kids behind, sure I'll remember that one. Never leave the bus area if your wife is about to die by bleeding to death or they will continue their journey without ****, gotcha. And the most important one: don't you ever ever dare to decline a deaf-mute naked lady or she might jump of the balcony. My god, I'm pretty sure that Alejandro Gonzales still **** his thumb way too long when he falls asleep.

[SPOILER ALERT: This review contains spoilers.]

Absolutely horrible. Most boring movie I've seen to date. Anyone who claims artsy, "deep" movies like this are anything but crap has eaten one too many **** sandwiches. The same kind of people that think someone like Jackson Pollack has talent, and created "art." It's all a pantload.

Don't get me wrong; "Babel" is a grim yet seducing movie, one that is capable of diving deep into the diverse, infrastructural lives of others. But what pulls the pants down for this one is that there is no progress or moral. The movie just.....ends.

This movie was fabulous. It captured the connections of the world and how everything is related. This movie can represent how one can not be blamed for anything alone. The movie was intriguing moreso than being suspenseful.

Magnificent, emotionally charged exploration of the lines that divide us. Terrific acting, gripping plot. Ignore the loser trolls who abuse this review site; Do yourself a favor and watch this film.

A breathtaking human story of startling perception and beauty. It is wonderfully acted and achingly tangible. Brilliant, and a must see.

The title of the movie it explains it **** definition of babel is a scene of confusion and noise, which is based off the biblical definition. The movie wasn't bad but the music was horrible and the story of the asian girl is irrelevant and has hardly anything to do with the main story. It is worth watching if you have netflix or something. To the people who overly sensitive people complaining about the "graphic" parts of the movie you need to stick with Disney movies if you don't like it. They are simply showing real things that happen in this world, it is rated R for a reason and even explains the graphic natures of the movie before you watch it. Overall the movie was good, it just could use some touches to make it better.