Babel is not the best film of the year, but is definitely the most ambitious one. Screenwriter Guillermo Arriaga and director Alejandro Gonzalez Innaritu once again play with intertwining storylines from seemingly isolated characters, though on a much greater scale than they did with their previous films
Amores Perros and
21 Grams. (A budget=4 storylines instead of 3.) The result is similar to a better built and more imaginative version of
Crash. Primal fears are again addressed, the chief difference being that Innaritu's film leaves the audience feeling as if they have emotionally survived a sledgehammer attack to the knees. In terms of catharsis, the film is a monumental success on par with "King Lear."
That said, the final cut of the film is a disappointment when compared to its trailer. The basic conflict of each vignette is set up and the suspenseful 3 minute preview coupled with knowledge of Innaritu's past films allows the viewer's mind to explode with imagination. Yet when the credits roll, what actually played out feels light in contrast to what could have been. Is the film handicapped from its potential suggested from the trailer? Possibly, but the previews for
21 Grams also piqued the imagination and the film lived up to its potential and provided many surprises.