2022's most underrated film hits Netflix

Netflix subscribers in the UK are in for a treat as one of the best movies of 2022 has just arrived on the streamer.

OK, that’s one of the “best movies of 2022” by our estimation. We’re talking about Babylon, a three-hour epic from the brilliant Damien Chazelle, director of other Shortlist favourites Whiplash and La La Land.

Babylon was a touch more contentious than either of those at release, though.

It’s the story of Hollywood in the 1920s, as the industry moves from silent movies to talkies.

Brad Pitt and Margot Robie star in a film that mirrors the excesses of the time with excesses of film-making. And, well, that might not go down with everyone.

However, there’s a reasonable chance many of you will be transported by this giant ode Hollywood, intoxicated by it all.

Vox called it "a profoundly humanist film, mourning the tragedies that litter Hollywood histories. But it’s also a worshipful film, one that gladly buys into the dream, the spell, the mystery of it all.”

Full disclosure: some folks absolutely hate this film. The Standard gave Babylon a stinky 1-star review, calling it a “hellishly long, shallow and shapeless mess of a film.”

But the beauty of Netflix is you can test drive this 18-wheeler of a movie without having wasted time driving to the cinema or paying for a ticket.

Despite a bit of a backlash that seems to have put the brakes on director Damien Chazelle’s career a bit, Babylon was nominated for a whole heap of awards in late 2022 and 2023.

Sure, many of them were for the film’s brilliant score and costumes, but it did pick up a Golden Globe nomination for best Musical/Comedy and a Critics’ choice award nomination for Best Picture.

Based in the US? You can watch Babylon on Amazon Prime Video.

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