Greta Gerwig’s highly anticipated Barbie movie starring Margot Robbie and Ryan Gosling hit theaters on July 21. The highly anticipated film quickly turned into the year’s biggest hit by becoming the first female-directed movie to reach over S1 billion in just 17 days.

Barbie was by far the most engaging movie I’ve ever seen. It was one of the first movies where every single time I saw it, each crowd loved it just as much as the last —laughing at every joke and tearing up during the sad parts. 

Barbie also gave people a fun opportunity to dress up, with crowds becoming seas of pinks and fun colors. 

Almost everyone I have talked to has gone back to the theater more than once to see it again because they felt that it was that good. The first time I watched it, I was so blown away with all aspects of it, that I knew I had to come back. By now, I have seen it a total of five times and have come to the conclusion that Barbie  captivates audiences in a way unlike any other movie I’ve seen by healing their inner child, while also touching on important societal issues like the patriarchy.

The movie as a whole was an absolute masterpiece. The soundtrack put together for the movie was not only a good promotional move, since it included a variety of famous artists, but it also fit incredibly well with each scene. From the opening scene of Barbie (Barbie) waking up and getting ready for the day, with the song “Pink” by Lizzo, to the second to last scene, where Barbie transforms into a human with Billie Eilish’s “What Was I Made For” playing in the background, each song added to the scene so much in a way that kept the story line moving and kept audiences captivated and focused on the movie.

With a song in almost every scene that fit the mood perfectly, there never felt like a slow moment in the movie. The use of the songs on the screen and the impact it had on viewers is verified by the Billboard Hot 100 chart with hits like “Barbie World” at the No. 7 spot, “Dance The Night” also cracking the top 10 and “What Was I Made For” at No. 18. Ryan Gosling’s “I’m Just Ken” also managed a spot at No. 87, becoming his first ever Billboard Hot 100 song. “I’m Just Ken” was a cherry on top for the plot of the film and was a great promotion for the movie, since so many people’s love of the song has inspired many TikToks, inadvertently adding to the movie’s promotion.

Along with the soundtrack, Gerwig’s genius script brought the movie to a whole new level. Gerwig did a fantastic job at incorporating witty jokes all throughout the movie, leading it to be the funniest movie I have ever seen. Still, the script was a total shock the first time I watched Barbie since, like many people, I expected a more kid-friendly script, while it on the other hand delivered many jokes that would fly over children’s heads. After seeing the movie five times, I know almost every joke, and the audience laughs every single time after each one, highlighting Gerwig’s talent of being able to reach so many different people with her humor. 

If you played with Barbies as a kid, the sets and references in Barbie World were nostalgic and fun. From Weird Barbie, to the way Barbies “ate” food, Greta Gerwig’s incorporation of Barbie references were perfect. According to CBS News, the set designers used so much pink paint that it caused a shortage, which isn’t hard to believe since a majority of Barbie Land was pink. 

Even after the first Barbie Land scenes, as Barbie and Ken enter the real world, the sets continue to impress. The color completely changes as soon as they enter the real world, which incorporates darker, tones that contrasts with the pink back in Barbie Land. This addition of an automatic completely opposite atmosphere shows the viewer what Barbie and Ken are getting into.

But the real brilliance behind the Barbie movie lies in its plot. The movie criticized the patriarchy by showing audiences the struggle both men and women endure from it. Many films veer away from topics like this, but the movie touched on it in a smart way. 

They address the issues of the real world immediately when Barbie and Ken leave Barbie Land. Barbie is introduced to societal issues like insecurities when she’s cat called in Venice Beach. Ken on the other hand gains confidence from the attention, since the reactions towards him are positive. When Ken finds the patriarchy and discovers the “benefit” he gains from it in the real world, his attempt to introduce it in Barbie Land is a way for Gerwig to show viewers the problem with the patriarchy. We see the Barbies who were once Nobel Prize winners, Supreme Court justices, doctors and much more get dumbed down by Ken’s introduction of the idea. We see this in our world today with girls feeling unable able to reach their full potential.

In my mind the Barbie movie is the best film of the year and maybe even the decade. The overall plot and execution of the movie was incredible and exceeded my expectations. Every part of the movie was perfect, created an engaging experience for the audience and led to a fun and welcoming movie experience. As one of the first Mattel live action movies, the Barbie Movie took over the movie world in 2023 and begs the question of what more Mattel has in store.