"Babylon" has not been as critically acclaimed as Damien Chazelle's last three movies. It currently has a 55% rating on Rotten Tomatoes, which is far less than the 94% score for "Whiplash," 91% for "La La Land” and 87% for “First Man.”
Chazelle is telling Insider that he knew “Babylon” would divide audiences and critics, but that it’s a healthy thing for a movie out there to stir up such passionate discourse.
"It’s good to have something that stimulates conversation and debate and a lot of fierce opinions on either side. We all knew the movie was gonna ruffle some feathers and get some people mad, and I think that's good. More movies should do that.”
“Babylon” certainly has some flaws but anything that can hold my attention for 3 hours is doing something right. Chazelle’s film has these moments that brought sheer cinematic nirvana to my eyes and ears. I found it infectious to watch an auteur aim this high with such an ambitious big studio project.
Many readers on this site have responded very enthusiastically to “Babylon.” Back in early January, Chazelle’s film finished at #10 on our 2022 readers poll despite having only been released in theaters for just over a week. This tells me that a critical reappraisal might very well occur for the film in the years to come.