'Babel' is not one of Alejandro González Iñárritu's best films and falls short of being a masterpiece. It does however show how immensely talented he is as a director who to me has not made a bad film, 'Babel' while divisive is still a very good film that's fascinating and often beautiful. Even when Iñárritu is at his weakest or not at his best he is much better than most directors at their worst.

Not without its faults. 'Babel' is a little overlong and the ending is abrupt. A couple of parts are on the contrived side. 'Babel' is a film where the pros far outweigh the cons, though it is easy why some people would not be, and have not been, totally enamoured by it.

It's exquisitely filmed with beautiful and atmospheric settings. Iñárritu's direction is as superbly accomplished as ever. The music is haunting and fits very well, the sound has great authenticity.

Scripting is thought-provoking, exploring its themes well and deftly moving between its four stories and characters. 'Babel' is coherently structured, remarkable for more than one story plot going on which don't give an over-stuffed feel thankfully.

The acting is one of the best assets. Brad Pitt is a commanding lead, and while Cate Blanchett could have more to do she is a strong presence. Gael García Bernal is more than up to their level. The best performances come from a heartfelt Rinko Kikuchi and a formidable Adriana Barraza.

In summary, fascinating and often beautiful. 8/10 Bethany Cox

"Babel" is an unusual style film. Now I am not saying it's unique--there are other films like this that are made up of seemingly disparate stories that all end up tying together by the end--such as the multi-Oscar winning "Crash". This makes it quite unusual and the acting make it well worth seeing.

The film begins in Morocco and ultimately results in a senseless shooting of an American tourist. How and why this also results in the film episodically ending up in San Diego, Mexico and Tokyo is just something you'll need to see for yourself.

As I mentioned above, the acting is the big reason to see this one. Although there are some big name actors in this one (most notably Brad Pitt),these actors are nice because they are not the BIG STARS in the film--just actors acting naturally among a cast of many excellent minor actors and non-actors (like many of the Moroccans). All create a very realistic looking film--which I like.

Now I am not saying the film is perfect (hence my score of 8). A few of the characters (such as the deaf Japanese girl) behave very oddly. Another example is the Mexican lady who runs AWAY from the road into the middle of nowhere in the middle of the night (why?!?). There also was a lot of very explicit nudity--something that might limit its overall appeal. Still, well worth seeing and a very unusual sort of ensemble film.

It's four interconnected stories. A Moroccan boy plays around with a gun and shots an American tourist. Susan Jones (Cate Blanchett) is shot while vacationing in Morocco with her husband Richard (Brad Pitt). The nanny Amelia (Adriana Barraza) is forced to watch their kids, but she takes them to Mexico to her son's wedding. Meanwhile a deaf Japanese girl is sexually frustrated, and the police is looking for him about a gun he gave to a Moroccan.

There is too much Babel. The Japanese story is extraneous, and really doesn't fit into the main story. The girl's nudity is ill-fitting. The Mexican story is way over the top. The ending should be much more simplified. The situation at the border is trying too hard. A more easy deportation ending would be so much better.

The good part is the Moroccan story, both the locals and Blanchett/Pitt. The other two stories keep sidetracking the main plot. The movie is half good, half overblown.