review archive
Margot Robbie and Ryan Gosling. © 2023 Warner Bros, Heyday Films, LuckyChap Entertainment, NB/GG Pictures, and Mattel Films. Directed by Greta Gerwig.
Vizeit Reviews is in solidarity with the WGA & SAG, however, SAG will allow film critics to continue their normal movie critiques as usual but with certain restrictions.
Watched it in Dolby Cinema
She's Everything. He's Just Ken. After Greta Gerwig's two successful and critically acclaimed films, she's onto a new adventure by bringing dolls to life. Well...did it work? It did, in a big way. From many cinephile points of view, it's a Drive sequel because of Ryan Gosling. For the general audience, it's Margot Robbie as a Barbie. Barbie is a wonderful film for every type of audience and Greta understands the world around Barbie but also expanding what Barbie really is. Greta and Noah Baumbach really took the doll and created it something that people will relate to, no matter what you are. Let's explore Barbieland and see what all the Barbies and Kens are doing in their daily lives. Story: Set in the colorful Barbie Land, stereotypical Barbie lives a perfect life every single day. One day, she shows signs of being...a human. She decides to go to the Real World to find the cure in order to make herself perfect again. Since the announcement of this film with Greta and Noah attached to the project, I was immediately hyped to see how these indie filmmakers would tackle this project. Well, they made this film hilarious, emotional, and fun! One of the biggest elements of this film that really worked for this film is the satire of modernization. We know that Barbie is mostly for girls but it's also for some boys too with Ken being part of the collection. However, Barbie really takes it to the next level by applying modernization to kids' toys and making them hilarious yet so real and true. After the second act, we see Kens acting way different and it questions the look of men through the eyes of the world. Feminism is a big key in this film and while I'm a guy writing about a Barbie film review, it worked on both parts. I loved the way how Greta took the version of Ken and made it relatable while still making it feel real in the context of Barbie. Those ideas that Greta played with, really shaped a different story from what the trailers promoted. Right into the second act, I thought the film was going to be over but I'm happy they kept going the momentum before arriving to the third act. The main themes presented in this film really started to kick in within the third act and by the end, it's a satisfying payoff that audiences will be pleased with. I loved the ending and the way Greta directed it was emotional and right into the core of the brand. By the end, I wanted more but I feel like that is a great ending that doesn't need to overstretch its runtime. The plot overall really worked and seeing it progress from a simple story into something greater and personal really made the theme and overall message more impactful with its ending. That really made this film from great to fantastic and I was worried that this film will go into The Lego Movie route. Even though I love that film, I hope they won't do a cheap plot route on that beloved animated film. However, it took its own spin and went more deeper since this film is more lenient to audiences who grew up on Barbie. Even though it's a PG-13 film, the message is aimed at all ages and it worked great. I didn't even get to the cast of the film but everyone did a fabulous job with their roles.
The cast in this film is amazing and Margot Robbie really delivered one of her best performances since I, Tonya. Her performance captures what Barbie truly means to the fans and with Ryan Gosling as the addition as Ken, it captures the iconic duo in this crazy world of Barbie. Gosling's character goes way more campier in terms of tone while his character arc goes into an interesting route that you may never expected. America Ferrera was amazing in this film and her character really captured what older audiences missed about Barbie while Ariana Greenblatt represents the current generation's view of Barbie. It's two minds and worlds colliding into finding a route that will unite everyone who loves and hates Barbie. I really like their mother and daughter duo and Ferrera's speech was well done. The other cast members are also amazing and hilarious. The different versions of Barbie are pretty great including Issa Rae and Kate McKinnon. The different versions of Kens are also hilarious, especially Simu Liu and you cannot forget the underrated performance from Michael Cera as Allan. The cast together really brought out all the energy that the film was capturing and even with the human characters, everyone really made this film special and energetic. I bet the production was fun too because the production itself looks fantastic.
The production design is truly outstanding and it's mostly practical thanks to the production designer Sarah Greenwood. The world of Barbie is out of this world and the film captures the toy world into something grander than life. From the houses to the streets and even to the small toy details, it feels like you are living within their world. The costume design is also fabulous with each Barbie being unique to its own and seeing Margot Robbie in a cowgirl costume really made her character stand out during the real-world scenes. Even the makeup and hair design is also great for making each Barbie look different yet look the same. The cinematography here is also very great during the Barbieland scenes while still having the Gerwig visual look from her previous films. The original songs chosen here are also very good and the editing here is surprisingly very good. It's well paced and it doesn't overstay while still delivering the energetic flow of the story. Overall, the production of this film is fantastic but remember, not every film is perfect, even Oppenheimer. There are no major flaws but one of the elements that disappointed me was the visuals during the real-world scene. It looks dull which is intended but it feels dull on purpose and accidentally. I feel like the momentum was way much better in Barbie land rather than the real-world scenes but I was still invested in the journey of Barbie. Some of the jokes in the film didn't land for me and the film almost punched a needle into the politics but it did avoid that right in the final minutes of the film. That's all the negatives I have because this film really shined from start to finish. Being in Barbie land was fun but we have to move onto the nuclear test site before the nuke test starts. However, that being said, Barbie was an energetic film from start to finish. Greta captured the spirit of Barbie into something grander than life and brought some of the best material of this year and from her career. This is a outstanding third film from Greta and Margot Robbie keeps on killing it with her performances on each film she is in. Everyone did a great job in the film and I hope we get more Barbie films after this or just keep it like that because we need more female films before the studios realize it's the complete opposite. Can't wait to see what Greta Gerwig will cook next. Now Playing Only in Theaters! Vizeit Score: "A"
(Share this review with your film friends and on social media! Thank you for continuing supporting my indie cinema website.)
Copyright © 2023 Vizeit Reviews / Vizeit Studios. All Rights Reserved. Review Written By: Everardo Garcia Jr. Editor In-Chief/Owner of Vizeit Reviews | (Chicago Indie Critics Member [CIC])
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |
Archives
April 2024
Categories
All
Copyright © 2024 Vizeit Reviews. All Rights Reserved. |