Script: 10/10 Acting: 10/10 Visuals: 10/10 Music: 10/10 Originality: 9/10

To me, this is a very intelligent and impressive film that discusses gender roles, feminism, and related topics. It has strong observations and messages that will alienate and even anger a large part of its audience, and which explains the film's far-too low rating here on imdb. This is a 8.0 film at the very least, just based on the metrics above.

Whether you are open to thinikng about the topics and messages might determine film or not will determine your impressions of the film. Personally, I found it hilarious, outrageous, important and thoughtful. It pointed our a few things that, as a man, I was guilty of myself and will try to not do in future. That doesn't anger me; I respect that and am grateful. Other men might get defensive though.

The most interesting aspect of the film is its complicated nature as advertisement. Just like The LEGO Movie, this is one long ad for a major toy company. But, just like The LEGO Movie, this film defies expectation and is surprisingly deep, thoughtful and even self-critical of the company that it is promoting, here Mattel. In The LEGO Movie, the basic message of how toys and play should be fun, free and creative. That was a harsh self-criticism of the direction that LEGO took in the mid-90s, to boost profits by selling merchandise in collaboration with big media companies, turning versatile building blocks into specialised and boring set pieces. In Barbie, the harsh self-criticism is by Mattel towards its own damning history of promoting restrictive gender roles, racist bias, unhealthy body ideals, etc. Like LEGO, Mattel are clever and agile enough to see that they need to change and adapt, and by this public and early culpa mea, they can gain respect as pioneers of new and better modern cultures. Other slower competitors will suffer by comparison.

So, on the one hand, it's blatant advertisement. But, on the other hand, it's honest acknowledgment of past sins, and a powerful pledge to do better in future. It's also promoting an actually healthy cause, far more than most films do. Like The LEGO Movie, I feel conned by Barbie into admiring the ad and the company that it advertises. But, at the same time, I also feel that it's ok to be conned in these case, if it serves a good cause that might actually give more health and happiness to us all. Yes, these companies are eager to prey on us for profit. But if they are willing to help make the world just a bit healthier and happier because we their customers want them to, then this uneasy symbiosis is something I'm not adverse to.

Like The LEGO Movie, this ad of a film evidently had the intended effect on me. But I'm more than ok with that; in fact, I'm grateful for these two important and brilliant films.