Emily Allgair, Editor

The weekend following July 21 was a big one, not only for movie-goers but also for the box office. Bringing in over $244 million to the domestic box office, Universal’s “Oppenheimer” brought in $82 million while Warner Bros.’ “Barbie” brought in a whopping $162 million over a three-day period, making that weekend the fourth-largest in the history of the domestic box office. 

Like many of those who saw Barbenheimer, I saw “Oppenheimer” first and followed with “Barbie” for a light-hearted pallet cleanser. To reflect my viewing experience, I will first review Christopher Nolan’s movie, then end with Greta Gerwig’s. 

My biggest takeaway from “Oppenheimer” was how beautiful it was. I was lucky enough to see it in a 70 mm theater, but I think even with a smaller aspect ratio, the colors and lighting would still be impactful. Even in the black and white scenes, the contrast was graded very well. Even though I am typically not a fan of different saturations being used to portray different time periods, I understood and almost respected how Nolan’s choice helped the flow of the three-hour film. As fragmented as the plot was, I think this choice was more than just artistic and really helped with audience digestion of the concurrent plot lines. 

Although I try not to look into movies too much before watching them, I obviously expected performances from Cillian Murphy, Florence Pugh, Emily Blunt, Robert Downey Jr. and Matt Damon, but the rest of the star-studded cast was distracting to me. Naming a few of those who really caught me off guard, Devon Bostick (Rodrick in “Diary of a Wimpy Kid”), Josh Peck (Josh in “Drake and Josh”), Matthew Modine (Papa in “Stranger Things”) and Gary Oldman (Sirius Black in the “Harry Potter” movies) were all distracting me from the actual plot as they were on screen. The most distracting was Rami Malek, although one could make an argument for the importance of his specific talent towards the end of the film. 

While I understand these actors’ want to be in a Christopher Nolan movie, the culmination of all of them at once was a lot to take in. 

I also don’t have much to say on this last note but I think it’s an important one to include: “Oppenheimer” does not pass the Bechdel test. This does not have to be an important thing to keep in mind, but matched with the arguably unnecessary nudity of Florence Pugh and the fact that no woman speaks for the first approximately 20 minutes of the film, it’s interesting to point out and think about, especially in the 21st century. 

I also do recognize that although this review is fairly negative, I rated “Oppenheimer” as 4.5 stars on Letterboxd. It was visually pleasing, beautifully edited, and the actors’ performances were stunning. Overall, I would highly recommend Christopher Nolan’s latest film to anyone who likes World War II history, Cillian Murphy, or movies as a whole.

As for Greta Gerwig’s “Barbie,” this movie was all I wished it was and more. Not to sound cliche, but the self-reflection that I had at the end of the movie made me so genuinely happy to be a woman. And for those of the viewers who are not women, “Barbie” at the very least makes you more aware of the feminine presences in your life, both within yourself and those close to you. 

The casting choices made by Allison Jones and Lucy Bevan were impeccable. Not only were Margot Robbie and Ryan Gosling the epitomes of their characters, each cameo was tasteful enough to get recognition without stealing the spotlight. From Michael Cera to Kate McKinnon, each side character was casted with just as much attention to detail as the leading roles, really making Barbieland feel like a fully developed reality. 

Although Margot Robbie’s performance was near perfect, I think that America Ferrera as Gloria was the best part of the whole movie. Given her history of roles,  Ana in “Real Women Have Curves”, Carmen in “The Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants” and Betty in “Ugly Betty”, Ferrera has fared well in her iconic roles as one of the first Latinas on television to not fit the stereotypical beauty standard in the early 2000s (and that’s not to say that she isn’t beautiful). Continuing on this track of roles, in the movie “Barbie,” Gloria is a woman who struggles with her self-image and self-worth. By creating a Barbie that goes against societal standards of women, in that she thinks of life beyond having perfect hair and a girls’ night every night, Gerwig’s combination of Gloria and Stereotypical Barbie is, in my opinion, brilliant. And the casting that goes hand-in-hand with this plot point furthers my opinion even more. 

Overall, I would give Greta Gerwig’s “Barbie” five stars. Genuinely. I had high expectations going into this movie and they were exceeded by every element of the film. 

In retrospect, the weekend following July 21 was one that will be remembered well, not only by history buffs, but by teenage girls of all ages, as well.