“Mummy, are you crying?”
-Alexa (aged 9)

I tend not to read film reviews before watching a feature film, especially for those that are most highly anticipated, and I need to go in with a fresh pair of eyes and ears to form my own instinctive opinion/s.
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Being a previous student of screenwriting (with ongoing aspirations to actually pen my own scripts), I tend to approach watching movies the way a student of literature would read a novel they are about to review or critique.

The script and the cinematography of the opening scene itself made me gasp. Within minutes, I could tell (and I did not see this coming!) that this would be a high-quality movie, even when I still had no clue what to expect.

As for The Narrator, at first, I could not tell whose voice that was and I didn’t dare to cheat by Googling, seeing as I had promised myself “no spoilers”. But right from the start, that voice made a huge impact because it was clear that this was the commanding voice of a veteran English actress. Was it Julie Andrew’s again, whose voice empowered the Bridgerton franchise? Not quite. Then I finally figured it out…during one of the film’s most humorous moments of speech when she engaged directly with the audience: “Note to filmmakers: Margot Robbie is the wrong person to cast if you want to make this point.”

There are very few skills and genres missing from this unique cocktail of a feature film which comes with many entertaining elements coupled with the multitude of creative skills on show by the entire production team, which are required to create an instant classic. Describing it as a fantasy comedy alone does not do BARBIE full justice.

The film can also be described as the longest running video advertising campaign in history, making use of the film medium (for the benefit of Mattel). Some may view the excessive product placement and branding as vulgar but I personally noticed the wisdom of an underlying corporate social responsibility.
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To maintain my word count I hereby present (note: alliteration alert in some cases!), the following opinions: Monumental mega movie | Meticulous marketing masterpiece | Social issue coupled with social responsibility | Unexpected battlefield scene | Dream film set | Powerful tool of narration | Excellent soundtrack | Surprise choreography | Elements of a Musical | Superhero vibes (without the superhero) | Excellent storyline | Excellent casting and acting. I can’t recall such a long line of closing credits either.

Last but not least. That moment when America Ferrera took centre stage my daughter Alexa, who was two seats away and I looked across at each other – both our mouths wide open. My 9-year-old got it. That this moving delivery of the most important piece of dialogue – the key message of the whole movie – had just happened.

And Alexa went on to ask, “Mummy are you crying?” She couldn’t even see the instant welling up of tears that had been preceded by my laughter before that very moment but she knew. And I whispered, “Yes I am darling. WOW, WOW, WOW!”

I did at first wonder…..perhaps I’m loving this film too much – maybe I had to – to please my two daughters who I accompanied, via a rose-tinted set of lenses, but no. I’d have had the same reaction if I had gone solo. Or with another middle-aged woman. Or even with a male friend. There is something for everyone in this movie. At least for anyone who boasts – at the very least – an ounce of humanity.

Copyright © 2023 Anita Athena Ibru

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