I Need To Talk About the Barbie Trailer

If there’s one movie I am impossibly excited for in 2023, it’s Barbie.

Greta Gerwig’s big-screen adaptation of the iconic doll is one of those career moves that makes so much sense in the least sensical way possible: especially after the superb coming-of-age dramedy Lady Bird, and the Amy March-redemption machine that was her Little Women adaptation. Like the March sisters, Barbie is an instantly-recognisable female pop culture icon; like Lady Bird, she’s symbolic of a shift from girlhood to womanhood. Margot Robbie as the titular Barbie is so correct; like Gerwig, she’s got a history of bringing iconic women to the screen, and her delightfully tongue-in-cheek performance style fits so well with the kind of slightly old-fashioned, cheesy place Barbie holds in the mainstream right now.

And this teaser? Man, this teaser is exactly what I’ve been hoping for. It’s got such a joyful sense of fun to it, it’s impossible not to get a little caught up. The choice to turn the majority of this trailer into a Space Odyssey homage is something I would never have thought of for the Barbie trailer, but it works gloriously well – the enormity of Barbie’s pop cultural presence practically demands something as overblown as this, and that first shot of Margot Robbie in silhouette towering over the little girls she’s about to turn into lifelong fans is everything. Imposing, commanding, witty, and perfectly styled right down to the Barbie toes, it’s a balance of cinematic literacy and incredibly goofy fun. Margot Robbie’s insane charisma is blatant even here, that little wink had me pre-booking tickets on the spot. Of course this would turn into a Kubrick reference; it’s the only thing that could come close to capturing the sheer enormity of Barbie’s character.

And the rest of the clips we get are just as delightful – the candy-coloured, saturated world is garish and gorgeous and glamorous all at once, an unashamed celebration of the hyper-femme and instantly-recognisable aesthetic attached to this character. Every shot is packed-out with perfectly-placed details, from the costumes to the sets to the styling, utterly overdone and having a great time with it. Ryan Gosling’s Ken is probably who I’m most excited about seeing on the big screen; he’s such a great comedy performer, and with the heights of Toy Story’s Ken to beat, he’s going to have to bring his A-game. The little dance numbers we catch glimpses of here have me hoping for some full-blown musical sequences, because honestly, what genres isn’t this film doing at this point?

Even with just a minute or so of footage, I am already pumped for this movie. Are you looking forward to Barbie? Let us know in the comments below!

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By Lou MacGregor

(header image via People)