“Barbenheimer” Reviews

BY TIFFANY VALKOVA '25

July 21st, 2023: the fateful day when blockbusters Barbie and Oppenheimer were both released. Crowds of nostalgic Barbie lovers and history fanatics alike flocked to the theaters dressed from head to toe in pink or in sharp black suits to honor the films’ releases. My anticipation and love for the films excited me immediately. After waiting for years watching the date move closer on my calendar, it finally came.
    
I walked into the theater expecting Barbie to be a lighthearted comedy, but I felt unexpectedly emotional. It began in Barbieland, a seemingly perfect plastic world. The set design was exquisite; many elements were crafted to look doll-like, even Margot Robbie, the lead actress who plays the stereotypical and classic Barbie. In the movie, she drives a “toy” car down the neighborhood lined with pink houses, and the way she lies down flat on her face matches the way inanimate dolls look in real life. Throughout the film, there are many elements of humor, often offering comedic relief. On top of this, representation and emphasis on individuality are highlighted in the film: there were many different Barbies and Kens with different appearances and careers, empowering ideas of unique identities. Furthermore, after a malfunction in Barbieland, Barbie and Ken, played by Ryan Gosling, travel to the “real world,” where a society practically opposite to theirs exists. Director Greta Gerwig elegantly tackled important topics of feminism and the harmful patriarchy in society with realistic examples of what women face in day-to-day life. This was enhanced by a powerful monologue of the hardships and expectations of women made by America Ferrera. Lastly, what really struck me was the brilliance in Gerwig’s directing. The film wove in the importance of inevitable change, the significance of feeling human emotion, and how that all makes life beautiful. She incorporated small cuts of people simply living life, which transcends Barbie from a doll to a real human being with thoughts, feelings, and ideas. Overall, I really enjoyed watching the film and thought it conveyed truly powerful messages in an entertaining, exciting, and, above all, original way.

As Hollywood’s repetitive media is released every year, it has honestly become rare for me to fall in love with a film as much as I did with Oppenheimer. But the night I watched it, Nolan managed to strike once again. This staggering three-hour film was adapted from the biography, “American Prometheus: The Triumph and Tragedy of J. Robert Oppenheimer.” It showed the story of Oppenheimer developing his genius and influence in the field of quantum physics, his rise to fame as the “father of the atomic bomb,” the anxiety and guilt of the denotations gradually corrupting his mind through his life, and his entanglements in politics and Communism. Amazing actor Cillian Murphy had a flawless performance depicting the first young and ambitious, then graying, J. Robert Oppenheimer. This iconic cast starred other familiar stars like Emily Blunt, Matt Damon, Robert Downey Jr., and so many more that brought the film together. The sheer beauty in the cinematography, camera work, and sound, was innovative, and genuinely unlike anything I’ve seen before. The composer Ludwig Göransson proved to play an integral role in the impact of the film. The opening shot showcases a closeup of the sun, displaying the words, “Prometheus stole fire from the gods and gave it to man. For this he was chained to a rock and tortured to eternity,” which sets up the film perfectly. The scenes switched from plain black and white to vibrant color as the timelines of the scientist’s rocky relationship with society were displayed beautifully. The soundtrack in each scene was extremely effective, intensifying the tension and pressure that the war had on Oppenheimer, especially in the scenes prior to his test run of the atomic bomb in the desolate Los Alamos. The absence of sound from the explosion was perfectly timed after the bomb went off, and left solely Oppenheimer’s heavy breathing and impactful thoughts right before he would change the world with his creation. “Now I am become death, the destroyer of worlds,” was the highlight of the film, showing the catastrophic impact he had on the world from that moment on. The beauty of the IMAX 70-millimeter format enhanced the quality of Oppenheimer as it showed the immense detail of the atomic bomb. Instead of using CGI, Nolan created a realistic atomic explosion with massive amounts of chemical layering of gasoline, propane, aluminum powder, and magnesium. All in all, this film was expertly crafted and has great potential to be considered a classic one day.

​Both Barbie and Oppenheimer proved to be extremely successful at the box office: opening weekend brought in $162 million and $82.4 million respectively for these titles, exciting the nation and flooding the movie theaters for both of these pictures. In addition, both were highly rated by critics on Rotten Tomatoes: Barbie coming in at 88% and Oppenheimer at 93%. As far as which I appreciated more regarding production and how the movie was overall made, I would have to say Oppenheimer won for me. I would rate it an 8.5/10. However, in terms of sheer enjoyment, Barbie would win, but only by a hair. I would rate it an 8/10. I truly loved both films and both are remarkable in many ways. Now for the real question: were you team Barbie or team Oppenheimer?

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