*The article contains spoilers.

The new “Barbie” movie has become the most successful movie of 2023, earning over 1.44 billion dollars and surpassing “The Super Mario Bros Movie,” which earned 1.36 billion dollars. Costing only 145 million dollars to make, the movie has already made a gigantic profit for its actors, producers, and Warner Bros. Along with it succeeding financially, it also succeeded critically, getting a 7/10 on IMDb and an 88% score on Rotten Tomatoes. 

The movie starts off with Barbie, played by Margot Robbie, living her dream life until one day, she begins to not feel herself such as having thoughts of death and acting more like a regular human. To find the cause of why this is happening to her, she sets off to the real world with Ken, played by Ryan Gosling. Once they arrive, Barbie goes off to find a specific girl to “cure” herself while Ken realizes his potential power in a male-dominated society.

Ken and Barbie reunite where she finds Sasha and her group of friends at school. Initially, Barbie is thrilled, assuming Sasha will help her return to her normal self, but the young preteens begin to make fun of Barbie for her looks and the unattainable standards she has set for women. Feeling discouraged and insecure, Barbie leaves Sasha alone, but falls into the hands of the Mattel company who bring her to Mattel Headquarters in the hopes of trapping her. After she escapes the Mattel CEO, Barbie runs into Sasha and her mother, Gloria, who is revealed to be Barbie’s original owner. The three decide to go back to Barbie Land, where Ken has been busy taking over with his male counterparts. When Barbie confronts Ken about what he has done, Ken confesses that he’s doing this because for once, he actually is feeling special and respected. To stop this, the female characters think of a plan to un-hypnotize the other Barbies and regain control during Election Day. Once the Barbies have regained their power, the main Ken and Barbie have a heart-to-heart and apologize for their actions. In the end, Barbie decides to leave Barbie Land forever and to live a normal life in the real world.

Overall, the film did an excellent job with its message, plot, and production. The movie conveyed how no one can be happy and truly themselves if only men or women are in charge. In Barbie Land, the Kens were always there to serve the Barbies and then when the Kens took over, the Barbies were only there for the Kens. “Barbie” provides a clear message that the only way for both genders to be happy and succeed is if both are in charge and working together. 

Although the messaging was pretty strong, the movie portrayed it in an interesting and entertaining way. Never did the movie feel rushed or too slow, and when it needed to take its time to explain something, it did so thoughtfully. The film was entertaining and funny, but also incredibly emotional and impactful. Furthermore, the set design and costumes were a dream to look at, making every second of the two-hour movie interesting to watch.

All in all, the movie was a triumph and definitely deserves all the praise it has received. Although there were some weak points such as Sasha and Glory’s dialogue feeling a bit unrealistic and badly written at times, “Barbie” is undoubtedly one of the best movies of 2023. I would rank it a nine out of ten, and would definitely recommend watching this movie as it’s a fun and enjoyable experience.