IssaRae – Credits Rolling

Ever since I heard they were doing a Barbie movie, my excitement went through the roof. I waited and waited and while it seemed everyone in the world was able to watch this movie before me, my time finally came last night. And it was everything I had hoped it would be and more.

In Barbieland, the women are in charge. There’s President Barbie, Doctor Barbie, Nobel Prize Winning Barbie. And then there’s stereotypical Barbie (Margot Robbie) who is perfectly content with her day to day life. But when she starts malfunctioning, she starts to question why things are the way that they are. The only way to fix herself is to make the journey to the Real World to find the girl who plays with her. Along with Ken (Ryan Gosling), this will be a trip that changes not only Barbies forever, but Kens too.

There is simply not enough words in the English vocabulary to describe just how much this film means to me. It was so brilliantly done – not that I ever had a doubt with Greta Gerwig at the helm – but I’m still so pleased that it surpassed my expectations. Usually when a film is this hyped up, it can never be that good. But it was!

Robbie is absolutely perfect as our lead. Not only is she stunning, she gives a career best performance as her character starts feeling emotions she never did before. I also don’t recall her acting in such a comedic role before and I liked it! The big scene stealer here though was Gosling as Ken. All those rumours about him being tipped for an Oscar better be true because he was phenomenal. There were equal parts silly and hilarious mixed with a kind of redemption that just fit. I could go on and on about the others in this cast, but the list would be endless. So many stars in one movie is usually a mess, but that wasn’t the case here.

I want to live in Barbieland. The pastel colors contrasting with the darker tones of the Real World was well thought out, though I’d choose the former any day. And I want every single outfit that Robbie wore. Combined with a steller soundtrack, on the surface the film seemed like it would be one thing, but once the dust settled and it got down to the nitty gritty, the moral of the story became a lot more important than I ever thought possible. I went from laughing my head off one minute to crying the next.

Barbie was smart, funny, thought provoking and filled with girl power. With Robbie and Gosling leading the pack, I never had any doubts as to how amazing it would be. I can’t wait own it and watch it a million times on repeat. To Greta Gerwig: thank you. Thank you, thank you, thank you. Now onto Oppenheimer!

Rating: ♥️♥️♥️♥️♥️

In 2018, Spider-Man: Into The Spiderverse took the world by storm with its intricate storytelling and beyond insane animation styles. Now, five years later, we have the much anticipated sequel Across The Spider-Vers. After reuniting with Gwen Stacy (Hailee Steinfeld), Miles Morales (Shameik Moore) is thrust into a world full of Spider-People who want to protect their own. But when the heroes clash on how best to handle a new foe, Miles may need to rethink his destiny.

Full disclosure: I was one of those people who was late to the party. Having only watched the first film last fall, I was immediately swept up into it all. I understood the hype and couldn’t believe I’d slept on it for so long. And luckily this new installment is just as good as its predecessor.

Never have I ever seen such amazing visuals in a film before. It’s a shock to the senses with many different things going on at once, but it totally works. The comic book feel is elevated to the max and I commend the animators for going these distances. Seeing life in various universes was such an amazing experience as well.

Moore once again brings it as our main man Miles. Struggling to juggle every day life and his hero lifestyle is no easy feat and he’s learning as he goes along. I enjoyed having more backstory on Stenfield’s Gwen and am looking forward to her solo film already. The rest of the characters are voiced by some incredible talents in Oscar Isaac, Jake Johnson, Issa Rae, Brian Tyree Henry and Daniel Kaluuya, all of who the film wouldn’t be the same without.

As much as I enjoyed the film, I have to admit that I found it too long. Though this is part one of a two part epic, I did think it was dragged out at times. Additionally, there were some scenes in the middle that were on the slower side. They took me out of the action and weren’t always necessary.

Overall, Spider-Man: Across The Spider-Verse was a damn good time, but it didn’t completely sell me. Maybe that will change after the second part comes out next year. I still think it’s one of the most impressive superhero films of all time and it certainly warranted the applause it got at the end.

Rating: ♥️♥️♥️.5