What a disappointment. Relentlessly miserable, relentlessly predictable, no engaging characters, portentious, pretentious, cliched. To paraphrase EM Forster 'well said, but not worth saying".

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

So sad that this is what passes for insight. This film is far too laboured, much like Crash, and offers little in the way of humour, lightness of touch, or even horror, to carry its plodding pace. A shame, as this is clearly an important topic, and we are all seeking art which sheds light on globalisation.

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 retard sandwiches. The same kind of people that think someone like Jackson Pollack has talent, and created "art." It's all a pantload.

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.

Conceptually beautiful and cinematically hideous. I was lulled into seeing Babel by its national acclaim and avid reviews. However, this movie offers a far cry from anything that could represent characterisation or entertainment. A dull, overrated attempt at a masterpiece.

Too drawn out - the length of the movie didn't add to developing the story/stories.

Babel attempts to be the next syriana mixed with city of god, yet fails. The story lines are not nearly connected enough. The story about the girl in Tokyo has nothing to do with the rest of the movie. All the movie did was depress me and make me wonder why I didn't see the departed again instead of wasting my 10 new york dollars.

Too fractured and predictable--seen it before, derivative, morally murky.

AWESOME MOVIE. You will need to pay attention, as this movie is not for the uneducated ones. It is a mind twister....loved it. MUST SEE

A fragmented, frustrating film. The three strands of the film are so loosely tied together that the finished product comes apart at the seams. Yes, I'm aware the overriding messages of global responsibility and the 'butterfly effect' of our actions, and the self-important, self-indulgent nature of these themes shines through nauseatingly.

Since Amores Perros, Mexican cinema has completely changed. Almost 80% of the films made in Mexico now follow this 3-story segments. Babel is a triumph, it's not perfect but the level of acting is the best of the year. The message of it is consistant, penetrating, LISTENING, this film could end up with many many noms for the Oscars.

This is a very complex and touching film. Probably the best film from the trilogy. Great performances great screenplay. The best story was the Japanese girl, very very touching and great performance by Kikuchi. Amazing film, maybe not the best of the year, but still great.

I haven't seen a film that moved me as much and impressed me with its use of the medium to visually tell a story of such epic proportion as to how one single choice, mistake or moment in time can affect the lives of so many people around our world simultaneously. At times, its window on our world - in all of its complexity as well as its simplicity, its frailty and strength, its poverty and wealth, power and hoplessness, brutality and kindness - Was so realistic I almost forgot I was watching a movie. I found myself riveted to the screen, on the edge of my seat, actually praying that each of the many developed characters stories would somehow work out ok. In all of the tragedy it communicates about our liability to communicate, tolerate, accept, allow and embrace each others crises - Which it does masterfully and visually without beating you over the head - And it took me until the actual rolling of the credits and the dedication to children - to realize that the movie was actually much more about hope than despair. I also think that people without children will not relate even remotely as powerfully to this film as those with. I haven't left a theatre in a long time considering how much my own choices can affect so many. A powerful, masterful and visually stunning piece of film as art.… Expand

This movie could have been a lot better and I'm sorry I can't compare it to "Crash". That movie was great. I don't see the relevance in showing a young boy pleasing himself and a young girl showing us her vagina and her naked body. The movie didn't need that to make its point. It was kinda gross and unneeded. I'm not sure how many normal adults wanted to see children in that matter. They should have left that out and kept to the storyline.… Expand

Flashing between Tokyo, Morocco and Baja Mexico, this third entry in Inarritu's triptych (along with Amores Perros and 21 Grams) is an emotionally saturated story about the interconnectedness of joy and pain in our world. While Tolstoy argued that "all happy families are alike; every unhappy family is unhappy in its own way," Inarritu's masterpiece demonstrates the universality of pain and loss in a beautiful tribute to the fragility of the human condition. As Inarritu responded to a question about Tolstoy's famous line (after a screening of Babel at the Telluride Film Festival), "he got it wrong."… Expand

Brilliant film that selects 4 story-threads, playing them out to demonstrate truths about communication, time and the human condition.

The majority of the film is simply uninteresting. The storyline set in Tokyo is the most impressive mostly because of amazing cinematography but the others just seem to lack fundamental excitement.

Has some flaws, but does so much right that it gets the high score for intentions and for delivering some of the most stirring acting and beautiful cinematography to be seen in what has been a bad movie year. Two of the other best movies of the year (regardless of the Oscars) Pan's Labyrinth and Children of Men also emanated out of Mexico and it's an extraordinary burst that should be treasured.… Expand

Their is no point. It tried to be Crash and Traffic but it was neither. Nobody changes. Nobody grows. Just stupid decisions and sorrow. Painful to sit through. Thank god I didn't pay to see it.

If you want to see Brad Pitt, go see another of his movies, because his role in this one, while excellently portrayed, is little more than a cameo appearance. The movie ending was an interesting segment, in a film of segments, but was baffling, and less than satisfying. The acting in all parts was beautiful to watch; I am not sure the director really had a unifying vision. I suspect the name Babel is supposed to explain and excuse a lot of this disjointed and empty feelings away.… Expand

Ambtious but very tedious.

One of the finest achievements in the world of cinema since the turn of the century. This film was breathtaking, tragic, intense, gripping, everything. A solid, unquestionable masterpiece.

Engaging, phenomenal acting and script writing. If I have to fault it, the story doesn't hang together as it might, and there are various political statements with no development, like the housekeeper's deportation back to MX.

I thought the movie was very effective in portraying American attitudes towards immigrants even when traveling abroad. Having traveled quite a bit in Africa, India and the Middle East I can vouch for the authenticity: People with barely a pot to pee in extending hospitality rarely seen in this country.

This was one of the worst movies I have ever seen. Extremely unintelligent with overt attempts to be dark and mysterious. Flawed plot lines abound. Don't waste your money on this garbage. This is yet another example of how terrible the filmmaking industry has become. The only thing I can say positive about this movie is that it is not another ex-saturday night live actor pumping out another potboiler film. Iit sucked... badly!… Expand

One of the most intelligent movies to recently come out of Hollywood, but it deliberately confounds the viewer in the early going. Nothing can be gained from doing so. The best movies are entertainment that flows effortlessly, not a test of one's attention span and interrelational skills.

This is indeed a well made film. However, the film they decided to make is a pretentious piece of political-statement garbage. If you are stupid enough to not realize that people are interconnected in small, ultimately meaningless ways, check this movie out and realize it at last...at the same time you can contemplate suicide as you witness an incredibly pessimistic outlook on life.