Spider-Man & Barbenheimer!
Warning: Minor Spoilers Ahead
Social media influenced people to go to movie theaters to watch the double feature, Barbieheimer. But no - I did a triple feature. Last week, I was at the movie theater for an entire day and watched Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse, Oppenheimer, and then Barbie. It was a fun day! But of course, it was also tiring…and I probably wouldn’t do this again anytime soon, haha.
I watched Spider-Man first thing in the morning, and it was a great movie! I love the animation and how this movie included different kinds of art and animation mediums. The score and the soundtrack were awesome. The Spider-Man franchise is usually targeted at kids, but this film was for adults, too! The character Miles is Spider-Man and he meets with the other Spider-Mans in different universes who all shared the “canon effect” - the same experiences that makes them Spider-Man. However, he disagrees with an event that has to happen and wants to protect his family. I love the message and theme of how both adults and kids are learning how to grow up together. The movie was inclusive to include characters of different backgrounds and ranges of ages, too. There was a scene between Miles and his mother that made me tear up, and then I heard a kid sitting in the same row said, “That was a good scene.” I guess we are all going through it - you’re not alone, kid.
After the movie, I decided to not buy lunch, but I bought popcorn for my next movie - Oppenheimer. And I strategically planned to watch Oppenheimer before Barbie…because why would I watch Barbie before Oppenheimer? (Also, I didn’t have a large time window between Spider-Man and Oppenheimer, so I had to get popcorn because Oppenheimer was three hours long.)
Oppenheimer was not my cup of tea, but I know people enjoyed it and I can see the reason. In my opinion, the first act was fast-paced and the movie jumped back and forth between the past and present frequently. It wasn’t until about 30 minutes in that I finally understood what was happening to Dr. Oppenheimer. Dr. Oppenheimer was accused of being a spy and throughout the movie, he was trying to clear his name. The movie also presented flashbacks of events that occurred during the development of the Manhattan Project. The music was pretty intense and it suits the film well, so I did like the score. There were a lot of characters, so there were some scenes that were a bit confusing to me. However, this movie had star-named actors and they were all great. Even though the movie was long, it went by fast, so there wasn’t a moment where it felt slow. I love how the bomb testing explosion scene (not a spoiler) was shot and scored, too. I would personally watch this again a second time to catch moments that I may have missed. Plus, I’m interested to see the script of this movie to see how it was written, too.
So after three hours, I ate lunch! I got myself Chick-Fil-A. Honestly, not the best choice of meals and food that day, but I had to do what I had to do. I had an hour's break before my last movie, so I made sure I took a walk, haha.
Finally, I watched Barbie! My expectations were high because, it’s Barbie and Greta Gerwig directed the movie. I didn’t watch all the trailers since I didn’t want to spoil myself. but I did like how they did a good job of not revealing the plot. I had a Barbie growing up, but I didn’t play with it very much. However, I grew up watching animated Barbie movies, such as Barbie as Rapunzel, Barbie and the Nutcracker, and Barbie of Swan Lake. Plus of course, fan favorite’s Barbie as the Princess and the Pauper. Barbie is part of my childhood - but enough about the animated early 2000s movies.
Bias aside, I love the Barbie movie! The set and production design were so cute and pink. The soundtrack makes me want to dance with all the Barbies in the film, too. In Barbie Land, Barbies dominate their world and they are in charge of everything while the Kens…are just Kens. Barbie and Ken had to go to the real world, and they discovered how the real world was the complete opposite of Barbie Land. It seems like there are some people who may have misunderstood the movie, but the point of the movie is that patriarchy affects both women and men in the real world and in Barbie Land, the matriarchy affects all of them, too. Both Barbie and Ken are similar, trying to figure out their purpose and what they want in life, but they are also oppressed by the system. I love how lighthearted the movie was for its layered concept, and it’s a great film for both adults and teenagers, women and men. I teared up in this movie, too. I would definitely watch this movie again!
All three movies were recommended to me and I enjoyed all of them! I had a lot of fun spending time at the theaters. It was my first time going to the movies by myself, too (but my friend joined me for Barbie).
Now you might be wondering: which movie did you enjoy the most that day? Honestly…it’s hard for me to say this…but I liked Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse the most - I love the animation, score, and soundtrack.
If you haven’t watched Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse, Oppenheimer, or Barbie yet, I recommend you do so! Until then, thanks for reading!