The film, directed by Oscar winner Greta Gerwig, sees Barbie (Margot Robbie), experience an existential crisis and is forced to leave Barbieland to discover her true purpose.
Her kind-of boyfriend Ken (Ryan Gosling) joins her on a journey of self-discovery but soon after they enter the “real world” they learn several home truths about themselves while trying to dodge the fictional chief executive of doll manufacturer Mattel (Will Ferrell).
The blockbuster stars Robbie as the pink-loving title character alongside a cast including Emma Mackey, Ncuti Gatwa, Simu Liu and Dua Lipa.
Robbie and Gosling star as Barbie and Ken in the flick
/ Warner Bros. PicturesAnd on Wednesday, the highly-anticipated flick debuted on the review-aggregation website with an impressive score and many of the 96 reviews agreeing that Barbie is a must-watch.
David Sims from The Atlantic called the film “a very charming success”, while Tomris Laffly from The Wrap said it’s a “soulful film underneath all the persistent fuchsia”.
Elsewhere Rolling Stone’s David Fear said: “A big movie can still have big ideas in 2023. Even a Barbie movie. Especially a Barbie movie.”
Peter Howell from Toronto Star credited the cast for their “stellar” performances, adding that, they’re the “funniest” ensemble he’s “seen in some time.”
Meanwhile, Gerwig’s filmmaking skills were applauded by New York Times’ Manohla Dargis, who wrote that the Mattel brand looms large in the film, but “Gerwig, whose directorial command is so fluent she seems born to filmmaking, is announcing that she’s in control”.
In the Standard’s five star review, Charlotte O’Sullivan hailed Barbie “the comedy of the year.”
She wrote: “Weird and wonderful, it’s one of the funnest and funniest movies ever made – and is brilliantly spearheaded by actress and producer Margot Robbie, along with writer-director Greta Gerwig.”
Barbie is out in cinemas on Friday, July 21