My Review of "Barbie"

Barbie is one of the most successful movies of 2023 so far. It's just come out and I wanted to see what all the hype was all about. In some ways this movie feels like this generation's Titanic crossed with Clueless. It has the hype of Titanic and forward thinking of Clueless. Regardless of the comparisons this movie is already showing its pop cultural significance already.

The movie starts off with a bit of a nod to the movie 2001: A Space Odyssey. There is a bit of tongue and cheek reference about the cultural significance of Barbie. This and many other scenes are comical but at times you're not sure if they're meant to be comical. Often times I feel I'm on the same page as them but then I feel like I'm not quite woke enough to understand what they really mean.

We then jump into the world of Barbieland. Here's were everyone is either a Barbie or a Ken. There are a few outliers here and there but they're all played off as joke characters that are a nod to Barbie's yesteryears. In fact they make a lot of references of Barbie's past with obvious winks to the audience because they know we wouldn't understand unless we're huge fans.

In the world of Barbieland everyone seems to be living in a utopia. All the Barbies are having the time of their lives and the Ken's aren't doing so bad themselves. That is except for one Ken who is infatuated with our main character Barbie. I know, reading this may feel absolutely confusing but rest assured it does make sense in the movie.

Our main Barbie is having a grand old time until out of nowhere she starts to have existential thoughts about life. She wonders about mortality and then a whole stream of bad luck starts to happen to her. Her body also seems to be malfunctioning on her. She goes to one weird Barbie that everyone believes can help her out.

Through their conversation she's told that she has to find her toy owner in the real world because they have some sort of mind meld issue. Barbie is then put on a quest to go to the real world. She has to find her toy owner and help this person find peace in their life. This way Barbie can go back to the way she was. Easier said than done.

This movie is a visual marvel. There are so many beautiful set pieces that will have your mind wondering all over the place. The art direction was pretty well done and fitting to the aesthetics of what a doll movie should be. The music is also quite fitting as well.

Not everyone will follow the plethora of jokes in this movie. You have to have a certain amount of knowledge pop culture to understand what's really going on. In some ways I don't think this movie is particularly aimed at young girls. Maybe young adult females because the level of complexity to some of the situations and jokes will fly over many heads. Though I think it can still work though. Young girls may watch it and get enamored by the beauty of the visuals and music now and watch it later on and realize how complex it is.

There are a lot of interesting themes in this movie that are topics of conversation in this movie. We have conversations about identity, gender norms, societal expectations, personal priorities and even small things like treating people better. I couldn't believe they wrapped all of this into one package while still keeping everything comprehensive.

Overall, I had an okay time but I also realize that I'm not the target demographic for this movie. I was able to keep up with the majority of the jokes and things that were going on but I wouldn't say that I would love to come back to revisit this one. I have to give this movie a 6.5 out of 10 realizing that I'm probably in a minority that didn't totally enjoy this one.