Change Your Image
ireenchau
Reviews
Barbie: Big City, Big Dreams (2021)
Overdramatic and yet boring
Recent Barbie films, back at it again with the bad writing. Keep in mind, I'm a 21 year old who is really into storytelling/writing , so I am definitely not the target audience of this film. But it's just a fact that Barbie films are not as well-written as they were in the early 2000s.
Nostalgia and biases aside, the old movies made SENSE. Character relationships were well-established. We could empathize with them. Their wants and needs were understandable. The conflicts were high-stakes.
The past 3 Barbie films have NONE of that.
My biggest complaint about this movie was that it was boring. I felt NOTHING watching this.
The beginning wasn't half bad, but then the MONTAGES started. First of all, we literally montaged through Malibu Barbie and Brooklyn Barbie's friendship. Their relationship did not feel as meaningful as it was supposed to because it felt so distant and glossed over--nothing established them as best friends with a deep connection. They just seemed like regular friends, so that made the main conflict seem overdramatic.
Second, Emmie is supposed to be this mega famous performer, but she came off like a character the writers added in last minute. She did not feel like a part of the world because we never got the scope of her fame or importance in the beginning, besides a passing mention. (And seeing that she played a big role in the movie, it just felt off.)
Malibu Barbie supposedly was struggling at the summer program, but again, THEY MONTAGED THROUGH IT. Her struggle felt distant and glossed over, again. They should've written an ACTUAL SCENE that SHOWED her struggle instead of doing another freaking montage.
And another complaint, I still have no idea what they did in the summer program because again, montages, and there were no extended scenes where they were actually in class. The characters seem to go where they please and do whatever they want.
Mattel has done these camp/academy type stories really well in the past, like Princess Charm School and even Rock N' Royals. We actually got a chance to understand the setting. This movie abosultey FAILED at this. It could've taken place in a cardboard box and nothing would be different.
The conflict was bland. Barbie gets expelled and moves back to Malibu. So what? Her friendship with Brooklyn was like, a week long. She apparently really cares about the summer program so she can pursue her dreams as a performer, but her deep passion as a performer was NEVER explored, so again, SO WHAT? We're supposed to feel bad for her but I don't, because Barbie can EASILY get over this with no consequences. It's a very low-stakes situation.
Elina's failure could lead to Fairytopia's demise. Anneliese and Erika's failure could lead to the ruin of their kingdom and their dreams. Classic Barbie protagonists had REAL problems with REAL consequences, both internal and external.
BARBIE ROBERTS DOES NOT.
Ultimately, what I believe makes the recent Barbie films so weak is that Barbie stars as herself. Nothing bad happens to her, and even if they do, it's nothing THAT bad. That, and the writing SUCKS. There is no regard for good storytelling techniques, nothing that makes for strong, emotional stories. Nothing that delivers the inpiration messages they're trying so hard to convey.
Do better, Mattel. No kid is gonna come back when they're older and be nostalgic for bad stories.
The songs were kinda bops tho.
Barbie Princess Adventure (2020)
I really wish y'all will tell me how old you are
So I'm writing my thesis paper on the downfall of Barbie films, and it's really killing me that none of these IMDb reviews are showing ages. I have to know if these recent films are hitting their target audience (kids 3-6, probably girls) or not. (I'm 21, BTW, and an animation student/writer.)
I believe they are because all the critical reviews sound like they're from older people, and I'm pretty sure kids 3-6 think this is a cool movie and don't care about the narrative deficiencies and lack of emotional storytelling techniques in Barbie Princess Adventure.
Let's be real, people who aren't 3-6, this movie is not for us. Mattel does not care about making their movies palatable for people outside their target demographic. Assuming skilled writers cost more, they're totally cutting costs where it doesn't matter.
But that's not stopping me from watching it, so let's roast the crap out of Barbie Princess Adventure.
This is yet another movie trying to chase after the glory of Princess and the Pauper, but I don't think the writers understand that the popularity of Princess and the Pauper is NOT due to the switching places trope, but because of the masterful storytelling (and Preminger, of course). This movie does NOT have those things.
It preaches the theme of "being yourself" but offers no concrete evidence of the characters experiencing that. Barbie is perfect. She literally performed a complex horse show involving acrobatics with no prior preparation. Amelia is boring. She keeps saying that she needs to "be herself" and that she has opinions and dreams, but NEVER in the entire 1 hour and 12 minute films does she EVER tell us what they are. Ever. All she does is walk around in a park, and she's on screen for maybe 10 minutes in total.
At the end she says she's ready to be queen, but sis--all you did is walk around in a park!!!
The only concrete thing we know about Amelia is that she likes all the ice cream flavors, and that's only because she TOLD us, like she TELLS literally everything else about herself!!! (Okay but I have to give credit where it's due, the beginning where she chooses the plain necklace over the fancy one is decent, but that's the only instance of showing instead of telling that I can think of.)
The message of this film is admirable, but it feels vague and preachy because neither of the main characters actually experience anything concrete relating to the theme. That is why it feels meh, despite it trying so hard to be inspiring. Because there's no heart to this and no emotion. The characters don't struggle, and there is no reason to empathize with them.
And the environments are ugly. What the heck were the concept artists thinking when they designed that castle???? And the outfits are also garbage. Early 2000s Barbie movies had wack animation but at least they made an effort to make their designs appealing.
Ugh, anyway. Sadly the two films after this aren't any better. I don't think Barbie is gonna have any good films for a while.