I’ve thought about this long and hard. It was a difficult decision to make, but I knew the answer the entire time. a decision nobody asked for, not even Universal Pictures. But you're welcome.
I knew the answer the minute I finished Oppenheimer. it is, undoubtedly, the superior Barbenheimer film. And I really liked Barbie. But Oppenheimer made my chest pound so fast and I got very emotional towards the end I almost cried on a couple of occasions. It didn’t ask for sympathy or scorn for Oppenheimer’s character; it was a true introspection on humanity with the focal point on Dr. Oppenheimer. Humans harness tools that are too powerful for us to wield, and we suffer from consequences stemming from our inability to keep ourselves accountable. 3 hours of Cillian Murphy, cinematic tension, and moral ambiguity. Absolutely brilliant.
I love physics. to understand physics is to seek the beauty of matter, the intricacies of the universe. It truly asks you to revere whoever, or whatever made this world possible, the closest way for us to learn how all this came to be. but that, unfortunately, is not the case for Oppie. He created the deadliest weapon yet, thereby unveiling the ugliness of humanity. This is what happens when you put science into politics. He made the bomb. Now what? When did humans get so comfortable with wielding the power to destroy ourselves? Oppenheimer’s worst fear came true. He is death, the destroyer of worlds. But he knew that it would have been someone else if he hadn’t done it, and he naively believed that the US Government would only use the atomic bomb to threaten, not to destroy. The tragedy of Oppenheimer was that he didn’t build it with the intention to kill, but it was also his moral conscience that ultimately led to his downfall. Bro felt bad. Can’t patriots feel bad about killing their enemies? America is weird.
I suppose that I will talk about Barbie for a bit too, since I named this one Barbenheimer. Well, I really enjoyed watching it. Ken was more than kenough and he absolutely stole the show. I loved the Kens while watching it, but now I find myself wishing that Barbie’s character is more developed. Her motivations for exploring death and depression were pretty forced, and nobody left the theater rooting for her. I felt like I was watching a watered-down Truman Show, and the audience simply can’t feel for Barbie. I can’t feel for her when she became human. America Ferreira’s monologue was good, but the placement of it felt a bit forced. A bit too on the nose as an empowering moment. I am sorry. The supposedly emotional moments did not deliver. In short, the Barbie movie’s strengths in comedy and set/ fashion design did not overcome the paper-thin plot.
Nevertheless, Barbenheimer has been a hell of a ride for cinephiles like me. They were absolute gems of the summer, and Universal Pictures really hit the jackpot with both of these films. Good job. Now, let's pay our writers and actors better so more good movies like Barbie and Oppenheimer can be made. Cool? Cool.