I think the movie was great actually. Acting was proper, music was really catchy all the way, jokes were super on point and well timed, and the set design was amazing. Not the best movie ever of course, but definitely one that was added on my re-watch list directly after viewing. Loved the story and societal message as well
The first half was great. Unique, funny, and great production design. Then they went back to Barbie Land and the plot got super muddy.
I’m pretty hazy on what Ken might have learned over the course of the film or what Ruth Handler was trying to convey in the end.
I felt the exact same way. Great style. The actors nailed it… the first act felt like it had a solid direction… and then they forgot where they were going for the rest of the movie.
Why was Barbie being in the real world an extreme crisis just for it to be no problem at the end of the movie?
The mother daughter relationship felt shallow and forced.
Why were the Barbies intelligent but also immediately brainwashed?
They could have cut Will Ferrell and the entire board by the end of the movie as they added virtually nothing to the plot except Will Ferrell jokes. Why did they even go to Barbieland? What did they accomplish? Why were they chasing them just to leave them alone? Did I miss major parts of this movie or something?
Started this because I didn’t see it in theatres and can’t find the og discussion thread.
I finally watched Barbie after a full year of heavy PR campaigns to see the best movie of the year that was saving theatres and driving studios to go back to original IP for film ideas. And after all that my reaction is a solid…meh.
It was fine. I felt other movies have done the same themes but better and more cohesively. And I’m not sure what the final message of the movie even was. It felt like there was some boardroom interference in the final product because you could see the story aiming at something, then changing course before they got to a satisfying conclusion.
Acting and set design was good, it just overall felt like a miss that was made bigger by the giant campaign they launched to sell the movie as great.
You don’t know what the final message of the movie was? That barbie has been at the front lines of what it means to be a (Western) women for 60 years, and that you should keep buying them. If conservatives who hated it had watched til the end, they would have realized it’s message also included the idea that an over correction to matriarchy would not be a true resolution to centuries of patriarchy.
The movie may have been over hyped, but it was pretty good. I mean, we didn’t expect Barbies and Kens teaming up to build a guillotine and execute Will Ferrell at the end did we?
That might have bumped it up to a solid five stars for me, actually.
Well you know
OST generally means “soundtrack”. Am I mistaken? You seem to not be mentioning the music at all.
You are correct, unlike my autocorrect which decided it didn’t like the word ‘post’. Edited
i think it was overproduced, not a single shot in the movie felt like it had ‘soul’ it was just a very blant experience
They literally built practical sets for nearly everything. And barbieland is intended to be a direct representation of the actual plastic toys. What more do you want for “soul”
I liked it a lot. A little long but never really boring.
I agree with others that it was heavy handed in some parts but pulled it’s punches in others.
But practical sets, a good script, great casting, and an original story. Hell yes. The 4 sequels are going to be trash and the eventual cinematic universe will be a lead-painted tire fire. But it was great.
Weirdly the “vibe” of the movie was similar to a Cohen Brothers movie. It reminded be of the Big Lebowski structure and pacing-wise.
What streaming service is it on?
The ones that sell digital access to movies for $24.99.
It really is a movie about nothing in particular.
Eh. I thought it was just OK.
spoiler
(My sincerest thanks to you all. Please, support our strike. We can win this.)
Does the fact that it’s literally a feature-length commercial — that costs money to see — bother anyone?
Commercial for Barbies? I don’t think that little kids are the audience here but I hear ya. Barbie is more than a toy, the doll has represented a lot and been a big part of a few decades of childhood. This film was a great take on all that.
Yeah I think I’ll have to see it at some point!