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This article is written by a student writer from the Her Campus at NCSU chapter.

3 hours and 9 minutes. That’s the runtime of Damien Chazelle’s Babylon. The epic starring Margot Robbie and Brad Pitt, with newcomer Diego Calva was one of the most anticipated movies of 2022 (For me, at least). It takes place in 1920s Hollywood when the shift between silent movies and sound movies (talkies) occurred. I was so excited to see this movie, but I had one problem: No one to see it and no time to see it in the theaters. I so wish I could have seen this movie in theaters, but between school, work, and not having four hours to go out and watch a movie, it just wasn’t possible. 

When the movie was finally released digitally, I instantly made time to watch it. I had heard mixed reviews (most negative ones were saying it was too long), but the biggest thing I read was that if you love movies and the history of movies, you will love this movie. Lucky for me, I do love movies and their history, so I went into my watching experience optimistically, and my high expectations were met. There is much to take in during a 3-hour and 9-minute movie, so here are a few of my takeaways.  SPOILER WARNING

Margot Robbie’s Career-Best Performance

I have seen most of Margot Robbie’s impressive body of work, and without a doubt, this is her best performance to date. I do not understand how she was not nominated for the Best Actress Oscar because she seriously brought Nellie LaRoy to life. I tend to forget that Robbie is Australian due to her impressive knack for perfecting accents. You could feel all of her emotions through the screen, and the character development that she portrayed was fantastic.

Diego Calva’s Lack of Recognition 

The best performance, in my opinion, was from newcomer Diego Calva who played Manny Torres, an immigrant from Mexico who came to Hollywood to try and make it big. I had never heard of Calva before watching Babylon, so I wasn’t sure what to expect, and he blew me out of the water. He was the film’s main character and brought all of the character’s storylines together. The shot of him at the very end made me tear up, as his performance was absolutely stellar. However, Calva has not received nearly enough praise for his performance. I think he did fantastically, and seeing that he, too, was snubbed by the Academy is disappointing. 

Tobey Maguire’s Horrifying Act

The scariest part of the film was Tobey Maguire’s brief cameo and character. His performance terrified me. The hair and makeup team made him look almost unrecognizable, and how he acted sent a shiver up my spine. It has been a long time since a movie character frightened me the way that his character did.  

Party Scenes Galore

Babylon had no shortage of absolutely crazy party scenes. The very first scene of the movie is a huge party with hundreds of people doing everything you could imagine happening at a wild Hollywood party. These party scenes were definitely the most shocking scenes of the movie, so beware that you will see things you never thought you might see. 

Costuming Success

The costuming in this movie was amazing, and I wish I could know what the budget was. Every character had interesting and elaborate outfits. The most iconic one was definitely the red halter playsuit that Robbie wore in the introduction scene of her character Nellie.

Satisfying Ending

My favorite part about the movie was its ending. It began very sadly, and as I checked the runtime, I knew there was not enough time for every character to get a happy ending. I began to lose hope that I had just wasted my time watching. Then Chazelle did something with the ending that was absolutely incredible. Manny is sitting in a theater years after his time working in Hollywood. He is watching a movie set when he lived and worked in Hollywood. Tears begin forming in his eyes as he realizes he was part of history. Then, flashes of iconic movie scenes from the past hundred years begin showing on the screen. The movie ends with a close-up of Manny crying. It ties the entire movie together and is incredibly satisfying.

Overall, Babylon, is one of the best movies I have seen in awhile. I know it is long, but it is really worth the watch and I recommend it to everyone. It really was snubbed this awards season, but it is one of the best in my book.

(P.S. The soundtrack is pretty amazing and I highly recommend listening)

Cameron Crews is the president of Her Campus at NC State. She is responsible for publishing all articles, leading meetings, encouraging all staff, and overseeing the entire chapter. This is her fourth year on Her Campus and her third year as President. Outside of Her Campus, Cameron was the Editor-in-Chief of her high school’s yearbook, which she helped lead to being awarded the best book in the entire state and honored at Columbia University’s scholastic journalism awards. She worked as an intern at Southpark Magazine in Charlotte, NC, where she edited articles, conducted interviews, and assisted the editors. In the Summer of 2023, she attended Regents University in London, England, where she took fashion classes from high players in the fashion industry who have worked with the likes of Andy Warhol, Alexander McQueen, Christian Siriano, and more. She also had the opportunity to interview Brendan Fraser immediately after he won his “Best Actor” Oscar at the 2023 Academy Awards. She interned with one of Hollywood's top stylists Tara Swennen in Summer 2024. She is a senior at NC State University majoring in Communications with a minor in Journalism. After graduation, she hopes to move to LA or London and work in the fashion industry as either a fashion editor or celebrity stylist. Cameron was born and raised in Charlotte, NC, with her younger brother and dog, George Bailey. She enjoys shopping, watching movies, listening to music, writing, hanging out with friends, and traveling in her free time. She is a huge Taylor Swift and Harry Styles fan and has seen them both in concert multiple times. She is also a movie aficionado with some of her favorites being Once Upon A Time…In Hollywood, Barbie, Lady Bird, the Breakfast Club, and Breakfast at Tiffany’s.