Set partially in a utopian alternate universe, the film revolves around a titular doll who lives in a world that is meant to represent all of the good qualities of young girls and women until she suddenly experiences an existential crisis where she and her boyfriend Ken travel to the real world to discover a world that is way more complicated. It is a film where this doll that is meant to be an inspiration for girls and women all over the world finds herself thinking about death and all sorts of things as her journey to the real world in Los Angeles has her coming to terms with who she is and the complicated feelings she’s developing. The film’s screenplay by Greta Gerwig and Noah Baumbach has a simple structure that features bits of narration by Helen Mirren that adds to the drama that Barbie faces as well as her many variations that also include discontinued dolls such as Allan (Michael Cera) and the pregnant doll Midge (Emerald Fennell) as the former also goes through his own existential crisis.
The first act is set in this utopian universe known as Barbieland as it is this matriarchal society where Barbies rule the land while the Kens do recreational activities on the beach while the Barbies are doctors, lawyers, politicians, and such as its protagonist known as Stereotypical Barbie starts to crumble through her own existential crises as she turns to Weird Barbie (Kate McKinnon) for help where Barbie decides to go to the real world with Ken joining her as he also experiences an existential crisis. The film’s second act is set in Los Angeles where Barbie realizes that she isn’t this inspiration upon meeting a teenage girl in Sasha (Ariana Greenblatt) whose mother Gloria (America Ferrera) works as a receptionist for Mattel’s CEO (Will Ferrell). Gloria is a fan of Barbie as she learns about what Barbie is going through as the CEO and his team of executives try to put Barbie back in her box in their idea that it would save their own universe. The film’s third act returns to Barbieland where things definitely go wrong as it relates to Ken’s own discovery of patriarchy in the real world with Barbie becoming more unsure of herself and her purpose in life whether it is real or plastic.
Gerwig’s direction is definitely wondrous for the fact that it pays tribute to cinema and its long history ranging from American musicals to the French cinema of the 1960s yet it begins with a scene that sort of spoofs Stanley Kubrick’s 2001: A Space Odyssey. It opens with young girls playing with plastic baby dolls that doesn’t do much until they see a giant Barbie doll as it is all narrated by Helen Mirren that sets the tone for the film as well as the influence Barbie would have for young girls. Shot largely on location at the Warner Brothers Studio lot at Leavesden, England with the second act shot entirely on location in Los Angeles. Gerwig presents Barbieland as this world where it is artificial including the beach where there are these matte backgrounds and artificial lighting yet there is something beautiful in the way Gerwig presents it. Notably as the usage of the wide and medium shots showcase this world that is off the wall but also gorgeous with these immense set designs as well as some dance numbers choreographed by Jennifer White.
The scenes in Los Angeles is more straightforward with Gerwig using close-ups as it plays into Barbie’s interaction with the real world and the weight of emotion that she is dealing with as it includes this brief interaction with this old lady (Ann Roth). Gerwig also maintains this element of surrealism when Barbie is running from the CEO and his executives where she hides in a room where she meets another old woman in Ruth (Rhea Perlman) as it allows Barbie a glimpse into a world that is ordinary yet full of wonderment. The third act has Gerwig not only play into these gender politics and identities that men and women play into but also the many complications and contradictions both men and women deal with. Even as the Barbies realize the lack of power the Kens have as they also deal with the CEO and his executives who are forced to ponder their own roles in selling Barbie to the world. Then there’s Barbie and Ken as the film’s ending relates to who they are by themselves and their own purpose in the world. Overall, Gerwig crafts a rapturous and witty film about a living doll going on an existential crisis and discover her true purpose for womanhood.
Cinematographer Rodrigo Prieto does incredible work with the film’s cinematography with its vibrant usage of colors in the usage of artificial lighting for the scenes in Barbieland including the scenes at night while the scenes in Los Angeles has a more naturalistic look in the film. Editor Nick Houy does excellent work with the editing as it has elements of style in the montage of Barbie and Ken traveling through the portal as well as some straightforward cutting that include shots where scenes are allowed to linger including the first party in the film’s first act. Production designer Sarah Greenwood, with set decorators Katie Spencer and Ashley Swanson plus supervising art directors Andrew Max Cahn and Dean Clegg, does phenomenal work with the look of Barbieland with its design of the dream houses that the Barbies live in as well as the places and the beach in Barbieland as well as the interiors of the Mattel building. Costume designer Jacqueline Durran does amazing work with the costumes from the different array of clothing the Barbies wear including some of the iconic dresses as well as the clothes that the Kens wear including some of the stuff in the film’s third act as it is a major highlight of the film.
Hair/makeup supervisors Robb Crafer and Lois McIntosh do fantastic work with the look of the Barbies and their different hairstyles as well as the look of Kens including the ones they would adopt in the film’s third act. Special effects supervisor Mark Holt, along with visual effects supervisors Glen Pratt and Ned Wilson, does brilliant work with the effects with the emphasis on stylized visual effects for some of the scenes in Barbieland including some practical effects such as a dog that Weird Barbie owns along with a few bits in the scenes in Los Angeles. Sound designers Dan Kenyon and Ai-Ling Lee do superb work with the sound in some of the sound effects that appear in Barbieland that add to the artificial element of the film as well as the natural sounds in the scenes set in Los Angeles.
The film’s music by Mark Ronson and Andrew Wyatt is wonderful for its mixture of pop and electronic sounds with elements of orchestral textures to play into the adventure and humor while music supervisor George Drakoulias cultivate a fun music soundtrack that features an array of music that include contributions from Lizzo, Dua Lipa, Charli XCX, Nicki Minaj & Ice Spice with Aqua, Billie Eilish, Karol G with Aldo Ranks, Sam Smith, Tame Impala, Dominic Fike, Haim, the Kid Laroi, Khalid, Gayle, Ava Max, Fifty-Fifty with Kalil, PinkPantheress, the Indigo Girls, Matchbox Twenty, Brandi Carlisle with Catherine Carlisle, and Ryan Gosling singing his own song about Ken and a cover of Matchbox Twenty’s Push.
The casting by Lucy Bevan and Allison Jones is marvelous as it feature some notable small roles and appearances from Annie Mumulo as an anxiety-ridden mother at a middle school, legendary costume designer Ann Roth as the old lady that Barbie meets in Los Angeles, Connor Swindells as a Mattel intern who tells the CEO about a Barbie and Ken on the loose, Jamie Demetriou as the Mattel CFO, Rob Brydon as the cancelled Sugar Daddy Ken, Tom Strouton as the discontinued Earring Ken, the quartet of Olivia Brody, Isla Ashworth, Eire Farrell, and Daisy Duczmal as the four young girls in the 2001 sequence, Ryan Piers Williams as the el esposo de Gloria, Emerald Fennell as the discontinued pregnant Barbie known as Midge, and Rhea Perlman as a mysterious figure known as Ruth whom Barbie would meet at the Mattel building. In the roles of the variations of Ken, there’s Simu Liu as a rival of Ken, Kingsley Ben-Adir and Ncuti Gatwa as a couple of Kens who are friends of Ken, Scott Evans as Ken’s rival’s friend who always backs up his Ken, and John Cena as merman Ken as they all provide some hilarious performances with Liu being the standout as the guy who has issues with Ken.
In the roles of the variations of Barbies, there’s Dua Lipa as a trio of mermaid Barbies, Ana Cruz Kanye as Supreme Court Judge Barbie, Nicola Coughlan as Diplomat Barbie, Ritu Arya as Journalist Barbie, Sharon Rooney as Lawyer Barbie, Emma Mackey as Physicist Barbie, Hari Neff as Dr. Barbie, Alexandra Shipp as Writer Barbie, and Issa Rae as President Barbie as they’re all fantastic with their humor as well as what happens to them in the third act. Kate McKinnon is excellent as Weird Barbie as an outcast of sorts who has been to the real world and guides Barbie to go there while also being this representation of what young girls do with Weird Barbies. Ariana Greenblatt is brilliant as Sasha as a tween girl who believes Barbie represents a negative image to young women as she’s going through growing pains until she realizes how much her mother loves Barbie dolls and the fact that she can help change things.
Will Ferrell is amazing as the Mattel CEO who is troubled by the idea of Barbie and Ken in the real world as he deals with a lot of trouble while also finding a way to go to Barbieland where Ferrell’s reactions to everything around him is hilarious. Michael Cera is great as Allan as a discontinued doll who is often neglected by many in Barbieland until he starts to rebel against the events in the film’s third act where he becomes an ally to the Barbies. America Ferrera is phenomenal as Gloria as a Mattel receptionist for the CEO who is a fan of Barbie as she is dealing with all sorts of issues including her daughter Sasha as she also realizes what Barbie is dealing with as Ferrera has a great moment in a monologue that plays into the many contradictions that women deal with.
Ryan Gosling is magnificent as Ken as this doll who is just trying to get Barbie’s attention as well as be this boyfriend to her though he often feels neglected until he goes to the real world and discovers patriarchy where he finds some meaning but also becomes unsure of himself as Gosling brings in a lot of humor and heartbreak in his singing as it is a performance for the ages. Finally, there’s Margot Robbie in a tremendous performance as Barbie as this doll who experiences an existential crisis where she travels to the real world as she becomes more confused about her role where Robbie brings a lot of wit but also in displaying the sense of despair when Barbie becomes sad as it is an iconic performance from Robbie.
Barbie is a spectacular film from Greta Gerwig that features great leading performances from Margot Robbie and Ryan Gosling. Along with a great ensemble cast, gorgeous visuals, a fun music soundtrack, immense art direction, and its themes on womanhood. It is a film that isn’t just entertaining in its humor and dazzling set pieces but also a film that showcases the importance of dolls and what they can do for children in proving they can be anything no matter how weird it can be. In the end, Barbie is a magnificent film from Greta Gerwig.
Greta Gerwig Films: (Nights and Weekend) – Lady Bird - Little Women (2019 film)
© thevoid99 2023
The film revolves around a young man who carries a mysterious secret as he’s the son of an immortal criminal who asks for his help believing that his late mother is alive in another world. It is a film that explores a young man, who had left his father’s world years after their mother’s death, who had gone to America to live a life that normal and fun with a friend until a letter from his estranged younger sister came in as it would lead to him and his sister reuniting with their father. The film’s screenplay by Destin Daniel Cretton, Dale Callaham, and Andrew Laham does follow a simple structure yet it opens with the story of the Ten Rings that Shang-Chi’s father Wenwu had been carrying for thousands of years as it made him immortal and live for many years until his search for a mysterious land in China with great power is where he met Ying Li (Fala Chen) who was the guardian of this mysterious land as the two fall in love and raise two children until Li’s death.
The script also play into why Shang-Chi left his family to go to America where he and his friend Katy (Awkwafina) work as valets at a hotel and spend their nights doing karaoke and why his sister Xialing (Meng’er Zhang) is pissed off at him as it relates to the day he left. The first act establishes Shang-Chi’s life in San Francisco with Katy that is interrupted by assassins of the Ten Rings organization that included Razorfist (Florian Munteanu) who is trying to get a pendant that Shang-Chi had which was given to him by his mother as it is a clue to what Wenwu is looking for in this mysterious village known as Ta Lo. It’s not just the stakes that the screenplay establish as well as the worlds that Shang-Chi, Katy, and Xialing are entering into but also in the characters as Wenwu is an individual that is a man of power but his life with Li showed that he could change but his past would catch up with him that forced him to return to his dark ways. Shang-Chi isn’t sure if everything his father is saying is true as he is someone filled with conflict about his father’s teachings as well as guilt from his past as a boy. Xialing isn’t just someone who harbors resentment towards her brother for leaving her but also her father whom she felt neglected him following her mother’s death. Katy is this wisecracking outsider that is still trying to find herself as she also gets to know more about Shang-Chi and Xialing where she also learns more about herself.
Cretton’s direction is quite vast in not just the world that these characters are in but also in many of the ancient Chinese ideals and surroundings including the mysterious Ta Lo village as much of the film is shot on location in New South Wales in Australia and studios in Australia along with additional locations in San Francisco. Cretton doesn’t just play into China’s history as well as how Wenwu is involved but also in the creation of the Ten Rings organization as this force of power who controls everything. Through wide and medium shots, the presentation of the Ten Rings organization and the world it has established itself is vast including its fortress where Wenwu lives with his army. Cretton also maintains a sense of mystique and beauty into the world including the village of Ta Lo which feature these mystical creatures that are more than just animals. It is a place where Shang-Chi and Xialing meet their aunt Ying Nan (Michelle Yeoh) whom they had never met as it would add to the film’s stakes but also Shang-Chi’s own revelations about who he is and the conflict he is dealing with over his mother’s death.
Cretton also play into the style of fighting as much of the stunt work and fight choreography is assembled by Bradley James Allan (whom the film is dedicated to) as Cretton knows how to present it with close-ups and medium shots while also knowing to keep the camera going as well as get a sense of rhythm into the fights. Notably in the third act that is about this showdown between the Ten Rings and the forces of Ta Lo as there’s a lot that is happening yet is really about the acceptance of death and the need to let go. Even as both Shang-Chi and Wenwu have to deal with ancient forces that Nan is trying to keep at bay as it play into ancient ideas of life and death as well as what the former has learned from death and who he is. Overall, Cretton crafts a dazzling yet somber film about a young man coping with his identity, loss, and the shadow of his father’s troubled legacy.
Cinematographer William Pope does brilliant work with the film’s cinematography with the usage of low-key lights for some of the interior/exterior scenes at night as well as the vibrant colors of the daytime exterior scenes at Ta Lo as it feels dream-like. Editors Nat Sanders, Elisabet Ronaldsdottir, and Harry Yoon do excellent work with the editing as its usage of stylish cuts add to the fight scenes where it does play into its intensity while being straightforward for the dramatic and comedic moments of the film. Production designers Sue Chan and Clint Wallace, along with supervising art director Richard Hobbs plus set decorators Rebecca Cohen, David A. Cook, and Leigh Welsh, do amazing work with the look of the Ten Rings fortress, Xialing’s own underground fighting circuit that she runs, and house and building at Ta Lo that all has its sense of beauty and wonders. Costume designer Kym Barrett does fantastic work with the costumes from the casual look of Katy and Shang-Chi as well as the uniforms that the Ten Rings wear as well as the clothes of the people at Ta Lo including what Nan wears.
Hair/makeup designer Rick Findlater do terrific work with the look of a few characters such as the hair design of Razorfist as well as the look of the people at the Ta Lo village. Special effect supervisor Dan Oliver and visual effects supervisor Christopher Townshend do incredible work with the action set pieces as well as the design of Ta Lo and some of the creatures including a creature named Morris. Sound designer Jeremy Bowker and sound editor Katy Wood do superb work with the sound in the way the sound effects are presented as well as the atmosphere of the locations as it help add to the action and suspense. The film’s music by Joel P. West is phenomenal as its mixture of orchestral bombast and traditional Chinese orchestral music as it help play into the world that Shang-Chi is in while music supervisors Dave Jordan and Nick Lok create a soundtrack that mixes elements of pop, hip-hop, and classic rock as it features music from Niki, Swae Lee, Jhene Aiko, Anderson.Paak, JJ Lin, Saweetie, Rick Ross, and many others including some karaoke songs performed by Shang-Chi and Katy including the Eagles.
The casting by Sarah Finn is wonderful as it feature some notable small roles from Jade Xu as a Black Widow fighting an Extremis warrior in one of the rooms at Xialing’s building, Zach Cherry as a bus rider who records Shang-Chi’s fight in the bus, Stephanie Hsu and Kunal Dudhekar as a couple of friends of Shang-Chi and Katy respectively in Soo and John, Tim Roth in an un-credited voice performance as the gigantic villain Abomination as a fighter in Xialing’s building, Ronny Chieng as Xialing’s right-hand man Jon Jon at her underground building, Dallas Liu as Katy’s younger brother Ruihua, Jodi Long as Katy’s mother, Tsai Chin as Katy’s grandmother, Andy Le as the mysterious assassin known as the Death Dealer who was also the young Shang-Chi’s instructor, Yuen Wah as a Ta Lo leader in Guang Bo, Elodie Fong and Harmonie He in their respective roles as the adolescent and teenage Xialing, Jayden Zhang and Arnold Sun in their respective roles as the adolescent and teenage Shang-Chi, and Ben Kingsley in a hilarious performance as the actor Trevor Slattery whom had played a version of Wenwu many years ago and is imprisoned as he helps out Shang-chi, Xialing, and Katy in finding Ta Lo.
Benedict Wong is superb in his brief appearance as Wong as a master of the mystic arts who fights Abomination and later appears to chat with Shang-Chi and Katy while Florian Munteanu is terrific as the Ten Rings assassin Razorfist as a big man with machete/sword as a right hand as he is a formidable force that is intimidating but also with some personality. Michelle Yeoh is fantastic as Ying Nan as Shang-Chi and Xialing’s aunt who leads the people at the Ta Lo village as well as be a guide to her niece and nephew as well as be aware of Wenwu’s delusions. Fala Chen is excellent in her small role as Shang-Chi and Xialing’s mother Ying Li as a woman who was Ta Lo’s guardian when she met Wenwu as she is also this graceful fighter who gives her children something much more powerful than their father’s fighting style. Meng’er Zhang is incredible as Xu Xialing as Shang-Chi’s estranged sister whom he hadn’t seen in years as she runs an underground fight club in Macau as she also copes with the loss of her mother and her own issues with her father.
Awkwafina is marvelous as Katy as Shang-Chi’s best friend who doesn’t have much ambition while also realizes she doesn’t know Shang-Chi well at all but understands why he’s so guarded as she is a comic relief with a lot of heart but also someone who starts to embrace her Asian identity. Tony Leung Chiu-wai is phenomenal as Xu Wenwu as an immortal crime figure known primarily as the Mandarin as a man that craves power yet is ravaged by grief and the delusion that his wife is alive where Leung maintains a sense of gravitas and charisma to his performance as a man that is hoping to get his family back even if it means having to do horrific things. Finally, there’s Simu Liu in a sensational breakthrough performance as the titular character as a young man who is trying to not to be who he really is while carrying a lot of guilt over his mother’s death as where Liu maintains that sense of restraint while proving to be charismatic in the fight scenes as he is a major discovery in the film.
Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings is a sensational film from Destin Daniel Cretton that features a phenomenal ensemble cast led by Simu Liu and Tony Leung Chiu-Wai. Along with its supporting cast, dazzling visuals, incredible visual effects, themes of loss and family identity, and a sumptuous music score and soundtrack. The film isn’t just this exhilarating action-adventure blockbuster that introduces audiences to a new superhero let alone an Asian superhero. It is a film that is about a man having to embrace his identity but also do what he can in that identity to bring good to the world. In the end, Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings is a spectacular film from Destin Daniel Cretton.
Destin Daniel Cretton Films: (I Am Not a Hipster) – Short Term 12 - (The Glass Castle (2017 film)) – Just Mercy
Marvel Cinematic Universe: Infinity Saga: Phase One: Iron Man - The Incredible Hulk - Iron Man 2 - Thor - Captain America: The First Avenger - The Avengers
Phase Two: Iron Man 3 - Thor: The Dark World - Captain America: The Winter Soldier - Guardians of the Galaxy - The Avengers: Age of Ultron - Ant-Man
Phase Three: Captain America: Civil War - Doctor Strange - Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2 - Spider-Man: Homecoming - Thor: Ragnarok - Black Panther - Avengers: Infinity War - Ant-Man and the Wasp - Captain Marvel - Avengers: Endgame - Spider-Man: Far from Home
Multiverse Saga: Phase Four: Black Widow - Eternals – Spider-Man: No Way Home – Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness – Thor: Love and Thunder – Werewolf by Night - Black Panther: Wakanda Forever - The Guardians of the Galaxy Holiday Special
Phase Five: Ant-Man & the Wasp: Quantumania - Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 – The Marvels – (Deadpool & Wolverine) - (Captain America: Brave New World) - (Thunderbolts*)
Phase 6: The Fantastic Four: First Steps - (Avengers: Doomsday) - (Avengers: Secret Wars)
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