Barbie (2023)

I have finally seen Barbie. I liked it. 

If you don't know... well, this movie is richer and more complex than I expected. 

Spoilers I guess

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I was reminded of a theory presented by my Classics professor in college - He said that the foundational myths of the ancient Near East shared the theme of a powerful, primal female force of chaos being defeated by the predominantly male gods, who then established our world. He believed that this mythology reflected a real historical event... a primordial matriarchy, overthrown by men who would go on to found the patriarchal social order under which we still struggle. 

That's pretty much the story... only, you know, with Barbie(s) as Tiamat and Ken(s) as a wannabe Marduk. 

I liked it. I will also say, as a middle-aged white male, I am probably not its primary target audience. Not that it is a movie middle-aged white males shouldn't watch, on the contrary, we absolutely should... but there are parts of it that don't resonate as strongly for me as they do for my wife, simply because I don't share the experience of being a woman in modern America. It reminds a little of the Captain Marvel and (to a lesser degree) Wonder Woman movies in that regard.

Even with him being the villain, I confess I found myself with some sympathy for Ken's struggle... which is essentially to establish his own identity. I don't continence his foray into toxic masculinity but I guess I can understand why, like to many weak men in the Real World, he could be lured into that. In the end, Ken finds that he doesn't need Patriarchy, which isn't about horses after all (watch the movie, you'll get it) because it's just another case of letting someone else define him. He needs to define himself.

Yeah, a lot going on in this movie... plus some great visuals, fantastic dialogue and more than a few wonderful dance numbers.

Well worth all the hype.