Barbie (4K UHD Blu-ray) review

[David Vaughn]

Studio: Warner Brothers
Release Date: October 17, 2023
Rating: PG-13
 Film:  3.5/5
 
 Plot
 To live in Barbie Land is to be a perfect being in a perfect place.  Unless you have a full-on existential crisis. Or you’re a Ken.
 
My Thoughts
It’s hard to believe that in the 100 years that Warner Brothers has been making movies that this would be its highest grossing film of all-time with it earning more than $1.43 billion worldwide. Granted, ticket prices are a lot more today than they were in years past, but it’s still an amazing feat.
 
I sat down with my wife to watch it and I truly didn’t know what to expect. I avoided reading any reviews of the film as much as possible, but since my wife and I are both right-leaning individuals, neither of us expected to like it. While I wouldn’t call it a great film, I have to admit that I was taken in by the fabulous sets and costumes and was somewhat surprised by some of the “musical theater” aspects of the film. Robbie is tailormade for the role and looks stunning as the iconic doll and the casting of Gosling as Ken is just as picture perfect.
 
The actual story is just OK and I would label it as mildly entertaining. My wife hated it from the start. The opening montage showed a young girl destroying her baby doll and my wife took that as a slight against motherhood (I personally didn’t see that, but I’m not a mother so maybe our perspectives are different). I actually liked when Barbie ventures into the “real world” and her naivete is on full display with the fish out of water storyline.
 
Does the film bash men? Occasionally, but there’s a grain of truth to what they are saying, so that makes it funny. The corporate boardroom is full of idiots led by Will Ferrell, which is obviously a shot at the CEO suites of today, but let’s be real about it—the corporate environment of today is nothing near as bad as its portrayed in this film. I work in corporate America and if anything, things have swung too far to one side and could certainly find a balance more in the middle. Regardless, I found the ending of the film quite good and touching as the film goes back in time to hear about the creation of the iconic character. That being said, the very last scene ended the film on a somewhat sour note because I think the joke fell flat other than for the females in the audience.
 
The 4K presentation is extremely well done. The image is bright and cheery and Barbie Land looks like it comes right out of a child’s imagination. Shots in the real-world are toned down quite a bit with a more accurate color palette other than Barbie and Ken’s outfits while roller skating at the beach. The audio track is active throughout the bed channels and while there’s some score bleed to the overheads, I wouldn’t say that were heavily used as part of the storytelling.
 
Video 9.5/10
Audio 9/10  (Dolby Atmos)
 
 Special Features: 
 

• Welcome to Barbie Land
• Becoming Barbie
• Playing Dress-Up
• Musical Make-Believe
• All-Star Barbie Party
• It’s a Weird World
• Digital Copy
  
  

 

 Conclusion
 Given my political leanings, I thought I wouldn’t end up liking this film but I have to say I found it amusing and at times, laugh out loud funny. I think the opening scene soured the entire experience for my wife and she walked out of the room with about 25 minutes to go in the film and missed what I thought was the best part that talked about the genesis of the character. While I’m not sure this is something I’ll watch anytime in the near future, I’m sure I’ll have a guest at the house at some point that will want to see it so I’ll keep it in the collection.           
 

 Reference Review System:
 JVC DLA-RS3100 4K Ultra High-Definition Front Projector
(Calibrated with Portrait Displays CalMAN color calibration software & C6-HDR Meter from Portrait Displays)
Stewart Filmscreen - Firehawk 110” 2.35:1 Screen
Trinnov Altitude 16 Audio/Video Processor
ATI AT527NC Powering Bed Channels
ATI AT524NC Powering Atmos Speakers
Kaleidescape Strato + Server
Panasonic DP-UB820 Ultra HD Blu-ray Player
System Controller: URC MX-990
M&K S-150 THX Ultra (R-C-L Speakers)
M&K SS-150 x4 (Surround Speakers)
Atlantic Technology IC6-OBA x 4 Overhead Speakers
Dual Rythmik FV15HP2
Mini DSP HD controlling all subwoofers
Audioquest and Monoprice - Audio/Video/Speaker Cabling
PureAV PF60 Power Conditioner

[Ralph P.]

Greetings,

Nice review Dave. I enjoyed this one too. We saw it in the theater and the second viewing at home was just as entertaining.


Regards,

[bmoney]

I am an outlier. I thought this was an absolutely awful movie 

[SRW1000]

My wife hated it from the start. The opening montage showed a young girl destroying her baby doll and my wife took that as a slight against motherhood (I personally didn’t see that, but I’m not a mother so maybe our perspectives are different).

Interesting, I had heard that same perspective from other viewers, most of which were women, so she's not the only one to take away that message.

This is a really good review and shows why the movie might appeal to different audiences.

I guess the only thing that I can't figure out is why they created a movie around a girl's doll in this way.  The market for the toy is young girls along with a segment of adult collectors.  Yet, from what I've heard, this isn't a movie that was made for young girls. 

From a marketing perspective, it does seem to have worked, as Barbie sales have gone up significantly since the movie was released:  Barbie toy sales shoot up 25% after film's release | CNN Business.  It's unclear if these sales spilled over into "normal" Barbie toys or were a result of hype from the movie's popularity.  It will be interesting to see if there's a long-term effect from the movie or if this will be a blip in sales.

I wonder what a movie like this, clearly inspired by but not tied to the actual Barbie brand, might have turned out.  One that could unabashedly satirize, lampoon, and subvert the idea of a fashion doll, without being aimed at the doll's targeted audience.  Or have a movie that remains unironically true to the ideals of the doll featuring the same stars and production values that could be enjoyed by both girls and a general audience.

Oh well, I guess that's why I'm not a marketing guy.

Scott

[AVSCraig]

Interesting your wife didn't like it David - my wife liked it a lot and is looking forward to watching the movie again when we get it. I need to see it alone and not late at night after watching Oppenheimer first. I'd give it a 4 / 5. 

[David Vaughn]

Interesting your wife didn't like it David - my wife liked it a lot and is looking forward to watching the movie again when we get it. I need to see it alone and not late at night after watching Oppenheimer first. I'd give it a 4 / 5.

I liked certain aspects of it more than others. I think my wife came in wanting to hate it and couldn't get by her own preconceived bias. I avoided reading anything about the film as much as I could and went in with an open mind.

[Paul Heroy]

Haven't seen Barbie yet though I will at some point. So this is just a general comment. I get that there have been some movies & TV shows with an agenda that seems to be prioritized ahead of traditional elements like telling a good story with good characters, etc. But it's a shame that a number of folks have gotten so wrapped up in opposing that, that it seems like they go looking for reasons to hate any new show. Anything with a female or non-white male lead seems to get knee jerk reactions, etc. Again that doesn't mean there aren't some writers/producers with a very strong "no more white male saviors" philosophy where the lead is not just inclusive (that's fine) but WMs are to be diminished, mocked etc. But not everything is like that, and sometimes a cigar is just a cigar or a funny line is just a funny line even if the straight man is, well, the straight white man.

[AVSCraig]

Haven't seen Barbie yet though I will at some point. So this is just a general comment. I get that there have been some movies & TV shows with an agenda that seems to be prioritized ahead of traditional elements like telling a good story with good characters, etc. But it's a shame that a number of folks have gotten so wrapped up in opposing that, that it seems like they go looking for reasons to hate any new show. Anything with a female or non-white male lead seems to get knee jerk reactions, etc. Again that doesn't mean there aren't some writers/producers with a very strong "no more white male saviors" philosophy where the lead is not just inclusive (that's fine) but WMs are to be diminished, mocked etc. But not everything is like that, and sometimes a cigar is just a cigar or a funny line is just a funny line even if the straight man is, well, the straight white man.

In my opinion, Barbie hit all the right notes for all the right reasons for the most part. I knew I wanted to see it the minute I saw the trailers, because just the concept is totally off the wall. And it didn't disappoint. 

[AVSCraig]

Barbie was even better the 2nd time around - watched it last Friday with my wife and 6 friends that hadn't seen it. The 4K disc looks amazing, and the soundtrack just shines. I'll be watching it a 3rd time in a couple of weeks with yet another crew of friends that haven't seen it. Good movie. And we wore pink, and drank French rose' - ha! 

[bmoney]

alright you talked me into giving it another try...ugh

[Barry]

I just saw the blu ray of the Barbie movie.

No one mentions that the opening is a parody of 2001: A Space Odyssey. I guess those who didn’t see that movie, saw the opening as something else.

I am not a fan of this movie. Yes, I was impressed with many of the visuals and its beautiful star, but I was not impressed with most of the movie.

I did really like Rhea Perlman, as Barbies creator, at the end. But this movie was not for me and I am to the left of David.

My brother got this for $6 at a Redbox.

[AVSCraig]

I'm watching this again Tuesday with a gang. I'll see what I think watching it a 3rd time.