Did it live up to expectations or not: film critics and viewers have given their verdict on the movie "Barbie" with Margot Robbie

On July 20, Ukraine premiered the movie Barbie starring Margot Robbie and Ryan Gosling. The highly publicized movie about the iconic blonde doll, directed by Greta Gerwig and produced by Mattel, has already become a real hit. Here we should pay tribute to the marketers who made the audience talk about the movie long before its release and dress up in pink for the screenings.

Film critics and viewers are actively sharing their feedback on the sensational movie. Some call Barbie a beautiful story without a deep meaning, while others, on the contrary, admire the coverage of important topics through the prism of humor along with an interesting non-trivial plot. OBOZREVATEL has collected reactions from experts and moviegoers (scroll to the bottom of the page to see photos and videos).

The review of the film by the influential Independent magazine was positive. Film critic Clarissa Loughrey noted that the film exceeded her expectations, giving Barbie five stars out of five.

"Barbie is one of the most inventive, impeccably crafted, and surprising mainstream films in recent memory - a testament to what can be achieved even in the deepest recesses of capitalism. While no studio film can be truly subversive, especially when consumer culture has embraced the idea that introspection is good for business, Barbie succeeds in far more ways than you'd think possible ," the review reads.

Robbie Collin of The Telegraph gave Barbie a B, which is generally a very high rating. He called the film "deeply delightful, conceptually slippery and often hilariously funny". The critic noted that this comedy actually raises important serious issues and is not a simple story about a plastic doll.

"It's unexpectedly gratifying to report that Greta Gerwig's film, despite being a summer comedy about the Barbie toy line, is far from what many of us feared. The satirical component, which is more likely to appeal to older viewers than teenagers, is used with enthusiasm and mischief," Robbie Collin described the film.

Sarah Vine of the Daily Mail was less pleased with what she saw. She didn't like the "anti-male" attitude of Barbie.

Vine wrote: "This is a deeply anti-male movie, an extension of all the TikTok feminism that paints any form of masculinity as toxic and predatory. Every male character is either an idiot, a bigot, or a sad, rather pathetic loser. If the roles were reversed, and a male director made a movie about how all women are hysterical, neurotic witches who dig for gold, it would be condemned-rightfully so-as deeply offensive and sexist The movie is uneven, disjointed, the plot makes no sense, and it has the dead hand of corporate America on it."

Peter Bradshaw, a film critic from The Guardian, did not give the film the highest rating - only three stars. He called Barbie a good-natured but self-conscious film that is "at times very funny, but sometimes also restrained and inhibited, as if the desire to be funny can only be evil and satirical."

He added: "This movie is probably a giant two-hour advertisement for any product, though no more so than The Lego Movie, but Barbie isn't trying so hard to pack a comedic punch in it."

David Fehr of Rolling Stone was much more positive than his two previous colleagues. He called Barbie "the most subversive blockbuster of the 21st century". He liked the fact that it was not a straightforward comedy with songs and a display of bright pink costumes, but also a rather subtle story about self-discovery, strength, femininity and masculinity, motherhood and growing up, injustice and the struggle for change.

The audience's opinion is also not unequivocal. Some call Barbie a masterpiece, while others do not understand the enthusiasm of the former. Some commentators praised both the visual and story components of the film, but there were also haters who thought the movie was "frivolous cotton candy."

Nevertheless, Ukrainian cinemas are packed with people who want to see the highly publicized movie hit. Women and even men are trying to wear pink things to fully experience the atmosphere of the movie. The audience highly appreciated the acting of Margot Robbie and Ryan Gosling, who skillfully transformed into Barbie and Ken.

And the numbers speak for themselves. Warner Bros. has announced a new record for 2023 in terms of box office receipts on the first day of release, which, as you might have guessed, belongs to Barbie. The movie managed to earn $22.3 million overnight. The previous record belonged to the fantasy film Guardians of the Galaxy. Part 3" ($17.5 million).

As OBOZREVATEL wrote, the images of the actresses who played the iconic dolls in the movie Barbie are being analyzed in detail and implemented in real life by fashionistas around the world. The film also features an outfit from the Ukrainian brand. It costs 11600 hryvnias.

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