**© Warner Bros. Pictures, Mattel Films and Heyday Films**

Barbie – Film Review

Cast: Margot Robbie, Ryan Gosling, America Ferrera, Kate McKinnon, Issa Rae, Rhea Perlman, Will Ferrell, Hari Nef, Alexandra Shipp, Emma Mackey, Sharon Rooney, Dua Lipa, Nicola Coughlan, Ana Cruz Kayne, Ritu Arya, Kingsley Ben-Adir, Simu Liu, Scott Evans, Ncuti Gatwa, Michael Cera

Director: Greta Gerwig

Synopsis: After suffering an existential crisis, one Barbie (Robbie) must journey to the real world in search of answers…

Review: A parody of Stanley Kubrick’s 2001: A Space Odyssey is probably one of the last ways you’d expect a film centred on one of the most influential toys to have ever been created to start. “Since the beginning of time, since the first little girl ever existed, there have been dolls. But the dolls were always and forever baby dolls,” intones Helen Mirren’s narrator. It wasn’t until 1959, when a company called Mattel launched a toy which would change not just the doll industry, but the toy industry forever with over a billion dolls sold worldwide, and her name is Barbie. A plethora of animated movies followed since, but while it has been mooted for a long time, a live-action film had for a long time looked as though it would never escape the doldrums of the plastic box of development hell. This is until, Greta Gerwig, after her success with a beautiful directorial debut and a superb adaptation of one of the most beloved novels of all time stepped in, and the result is one of the funniest, and pinkest movies you will ever see in your life.

In the picturesque world of Barbie Land, live all of the Barbies, each of whom has their own unique role in their perfect society. One such Barbie is the stereotypical Barbie (Robbie), who wakes up every day living her best life, spending days by the beach, having parties in her dream house, and organising girls’ nights with all of the other Barbies in the community. Nights filled with sleepovers, parties and the dulcet tones of Dua Lipa and Lizzo providing an irresistibly catchy soundtrack. This is until one night, one passing comment about death causes everything in her perfect world to go very wrong, including cold showers, falling off her roof, and worst of all, gasps, flat feet. Determined to find answers, Barbie must journey, with her partner Ken (Gosling) in tow, to the real world to figure out what is causing the imperfections in her perfect lifestyle to happen and whether she can fix them before it is too late.

**You can see why they ran out of all the pink paint…**

As is the case with superhero movies, or murder mystery movies, it pays to know as little as possible before making the journey to Barbie Land. Beyond what is teased in the trailers, this is no ordinary Barbie movie. Gerwig’s screenplay (co-written by her partner Noah Baumbach) really goes all in on the themes it chooses to approach and is not afraid to tackle meaningful social commentary surrounding feminism, gender roles, the negative impact that Barbie has had on the standards of beauty for women, and the patriarchal nature of the real world and its abject treatment of women, a very stark contrast to the idyllic world of Barbie Land. A severe rude awakening for Barbie, but one that considerably piques Ken’s interest who finds a new sense of purpose to his existence beyond merely being an accessory for Barbie. Gerwig and Baumbach deserve great credit for their scope and ambition as the script strikes a playful balance between thought-provoking social commentary and Barbie’s toy history and also goes for some big swings, all with fantastic wit and sharp meta-humour.

From the moment she was cast, Margot Robbie felt like the perfect choice to play the lead role of Stereotypical Barbie, and she does not disappoint. Throughout her career, she has portrayed a wide range of charismatic characters and has always embodied those roles perfectly, whether it’s her perfect turns as Harley Quinn or as the no-holds-barred party girl in Babylon. Now she can add Barbie to that list of roles which felt tailor-made for her because she looks the part, but also has the required acting chops necessary for both the film’s light-hearted moments and the more serious moments. Alongside her, Gosling is equally perfect as Ken. His career has often seen him in intense dramas where he appears stoic and cold. However, he has also proved he has serious talent as a comedic actor and never has that shone more brightly than in The Nice Guys. His performance as Ken is unlike anything you have seen from him before. No matter if he’s showing off his muscles, or a passionate song and dance number, he owns every minute of screen time he has. In such a star-studded cast, Robbie and Gosling stand out among all the respective Barbies and Kens, though Weird Barbie (McKinnon) is given plenty of moments to shine. Outside of the would-be plastic dolls, America Ferrera gives a noteworthy as a disgruntled Mattel employee who might hold the key to why Barbie’s world is falling apart.

It’s been well documented when designing the film’s incredible sets, they needed so much pink paint that it contributed to a worldwide shortage of that particular colour, no expense spared for Barbie’s dream house, as it should be, and it was most definitely worth it as the film’s production design is immaculately impressive and rich in its detail. The same is also most definitely true of the costumes which have been faithfully recreated for the big screen. While the film blasts through its 114-minute running time, there is one side plot with Will Ferrell’s ~~Lord Business~~ Mattel CEO which can feel a bit throw away but it does not detract from the fact that Greta Gerwig has created a film which manages to be a fuschia-infused party, an uproarious comedy, and a thought-provoking look at modern society rolled into one and completes Gerwig’s hat-trick after her success with Lady Bird and Little Women. Come on Barbie, let’s go party!

A feminist and hilarious ode to the doll which has defined generations and will almost certainly continue to do so for many more generations to come. Life in plastic is truly fantastic!

Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse – Film Review

Cast: Shameik Moore, Hailee Steinfeld, Brian Tyree Henry, Luna Lauren Vélez, Jake Johnson, Jason Schwartzman, Issa Rae, Karan Soni, Daniel Kaluuya, Oscar Isaac

Directors: Joaquim Dos Santos, Kemp Powers and Justin K. Thompson

Synopsis: After spending a year fighting crime as Spider-Man, Miles Morales reestablishes a connection with the multiverse and a whole society of Spider-People who must prevent a new threat from destroying the multiverse…

Review: It is no exaggeration to say that when Spider-Man: Into The Spider-Verse swung its way onto the big screen back in 2018, it was a game changer, not just for animation, but the broader superhero genre itself. The vibrant and colourful animation felt like it was ripped straight from the pages of a comic book and the animation itself was so groundbreakingly impressive, that every studio in town has had to since raise its game while its influence has been noticeably apparent in a handful of subsequent films. Furthermore, the film was ahead of the curve in terms of the plethora of live-action superhero films which have adopted multiverse travelling shenanigans. Five years later, these creative geniuses have only gone and done it again.

It’s been over a year since the events of Into the Spider-Verse and Miles Morales (Moore) has settled into his life as his universe’s Spider-Man. Though he’s desperate to see the likes of Gwen/Spider-Woman and Peter B. Parker (Johnson) again. When he encounters the mysterious villain known as The Spot (Schwartzman), it sets Miles on a new journey where he encounters a whole web (pun definitely intended) of Spider-People, who seek to neutralise the threat before it breaks the multiverse apart.

Given the many incarnations of this iconic character we’ve had over the years, what made Into the Spider-Verse so special was the way it took the familiar origin story of how the bite of a radioactive spider transforms a young man into a superhero and honours it. Yet at the same time, it breathed new life into it by telling said origin story in a manner which felt unique and original, with some genuine laugh-out moments and hugely inspiring acts of heroism and awesomeness, such as the now iconic Leap of Faith sequence. Across the Spider-Verse picks up where its predecessor left off with Miles balancing his superhero duties with the tricky decision of where he wants to go to college and the even trickier decision regarding his future aspirations. While the previous film really homed in on Miles’ relationship with the other Spider-People, the script by Phil Lord, Christopher Miller and David Callaham allows the relationship between Miles and his parents Jeff (Tyree Henry) and Rio (Velez) to really flourish.

Both can sense Miles has a lot on his mind, but as the old saying goes “Mother knows best” and it is in these personal moments between Miles and his mother which helps keep Miles’ feet on the ground. As well as taking its time to explore his relationship with his parents, the film allows room for Miles’s relationship with his love interest Gwen (Steinfeld) to develop even further, while allowing time for her tragic backstory to take centre stage. The voice work across the board across the board is once again exceptional, especially for Steinfeld given the added emotional gravity of her story and how, like Miles, her role as Spider-Woman has caused the relationship with her father to break down.

Alongside the returning Peter B. Parker (Johnson), the film introduces a number of new friendly multiverse Spider-People, including Jessica Drew (Rae), Indian Spider-Man Pavitr Prabhakar (Soni) Spider-Punk Hobart “Hobie” Brown (Kaluuya), and the leader of the Spider Society, Miguel O’Hara (Isaac), who is determined to prevent The Spot from tearing the multiverse apart at all costs, though the manner in which causes Miguel to frequently clash with Miles. Speaking of The Spot, at face value, he is a villain whose name and appearance could have lent itself to ridicule, but by weaving his origin story into Miles’ previous multiversal adventure, he proves himself to be a powerful and threatening antagonist to the Spider-Society.

Given its predecessor broke new ground in terms of its animation, you would think there is no way they could surpass themselves here. Yet, somehow, these animators have outdone themselves. There are simply not enough superlatives to describe just how astounding it is. Each new world the film explores provides the film’s team of animators to scale new heights and provide a unique look and feel for each different world and utilises a plethora of different animation styles, while once again throwing down the gauntlet for other studios to aspire to be at the level these animators are at. The bar has once again been set at a new height, and the expectation will be at sky levels when the final instalment of this wonderful story, Beyond the Spider-Verse, takes the leap of faith into cinemas next year. Should it stick the landing, we will, without any question of a doubt, be looking at one of the finest trilogies of all time.

Picking up exactly where its predecessor left off, combining stunning animation, a flawless combination of exhilarating action, and a character-driven story to leave the audience on tenterhooks for the concluding chapter of this amazing story. A perfect sequel.