“Barbie,” directed by Greta Gerwig, came out over three months ago but is still on the top of many movie watchers’ minds. Grossing over 1 billion dollars, the movie makes you forget the immense amount of flops Warner Brothers put out this year. Through the film’s unique narrative, well-choreographed song and dance, unique visuals, and relevant message, it exemplifies a movie that cares about both its viewers and what it’s trying to symbolize.
“Barbie” creates a plot that makes little to no sense but still makes audiences love it. “Barbie” uses fast-paced storytelling to give watchers a plot about loving yourself and others and knowing you are perfect the way you are. As you see Barbie traverse through new and challenging obstacles you witness an evolution from someone oblivious to hers and others’ hardships to someone who understands the issues of the real world and advocates against them. But the truly fun part about “Barbie” is how they go about expressing this. They show a stereotypical Barbie doll (Margot Robbie) living blissfully in a world with no problems and with people that experience no problems. As the movie progresses, Barbie learns of the struggles of life and womanhood, and Ken (Ryan Gosling) learns about the patriarchy, bringing it back to Barbie Land and ruining it. The movie connects these issues together leading to a meaningful story that adults can enjoy, but one that is simple enough for most children to comprehend and have fun with.
“Barbie” provides a colorful contrast between Barbieland and the real world, using very toy-like colors and items to show the fictional world, and drab colors for the outfits and buildings of the real one. It communicates the drastic difference in viewpoints between how Barbie sees the world and how the world truly is. Between costumes, props, and sets, the “Barbie” movie shows you exactly what it’s about through its targeted use of color design. There are many scenes that showcase this well, but the introduction scene to the movie does it the best. The film begins by showing the set design for the Barbies’ homes, which are all made to look just like the toys they are based off of. They have bright colors and are filled with Barbie memorabilia. Throughout the whole movie, “Barbie” shows off a colorful world of iconic buildings, toys and vehicles straight from the brand and making them even more fun to look at. Both giving the viewers an eye candy and a nostalgic ride.
One of the best parts of “Barbie” is its very well-choreographed songs and dances. The soundtrack for “Barbie” features 17 original songs made by popular artists, including Dua Lipa, Lizzo, Billie Eilish and more. Only two of the songs were accompanied by full dance scenes, and they stand out among the other crazy parts of the film. Both Margot Robbie and Ryan Gosling do a great job leading their separate dances. Ryan’s “I’m Just Ken” performance is show-stealing. The dance sequence for the original song was clearly a hardship that took abundant time and effort to perfect, with all the Kens in the movie dancing perfectly along with snappy choreography and fun original lyrics. The movie could have honestly used even more dance in it; the scenes brought up the Barbie themes and playful atmosphere more than anything else in the film.
“Barbie” seeks to revitalize a brand not forgotten but no longer nearly as treasured as years before, and it found what it sought. The movie brings an entire new light to the brand that both children and adults enjoy. Everything from the acting, soundtrack, technical design contributes to the film’s appeal. After seeing it twice, and thoroughly enjoying the jokes, visuals, and message. I also loved the dances but wished I could have seen even more of them. I give “Barbie” 4.5/5 stars.
