Rating summary

Movie		4.0
Video		4.5
Audio		5.0
Extras		2.0
Overall		4.0

Barbie Blu-ray Movie Review

Pink is the new green.

Reviewed by Randy Miller III October 18, 2023

Greta Gerwig's box-office phenomenon Barbie needs no introduction, absolutely dominating pop culture consciousness during the second half of 2023 while generating plenty of critical praise to boot. Much like The Super Mario Bros. Movie, modest success was basically guaranteed on the strength of name value but it actually ended up making all the money during its theatrical run, sitting pretty as Warner Bros.' highest-grossing theatrical release in studio history. But unlike Mario's paint-by-numbers approach, this film aims for something a lot more meaningful and, while it doesn't cleanly land every punch, wide-eyed ambition and top-tier production design make Barbie a worthwhile experience.

During an opening and prolonged setup that winkingly reference both 2001 and The Matrix (don't worry, a few other WB properties are name-checked too), Barbie drops us head-first into a titular pink, plastic world where hundreds of different Barbies enjoy a lavish life of laughter, luxury, and leadership while a small army of Kens flexes at the beach. Its central figure is one that'll soon be known as "stereotypical Barbie" (Margot Robbie), whose perfect appearance and bubbly personality make her the life of any party. But soon enough, there's a crack in their dream world: stereotypical Barbie develops feelings of self-doubt, flat feet, cellulite, and even thinks about mortality. She meekly ventures out to visit "Weird Barbie" (Kate McKinnon), who confirms that it's due to a problem in the real world where Barbie's owner has somehow projected those negative feelings into Barbie Land. With stereotypical Ken (Ryan Gosling) tagging along, Barbie makes the magical trip to L.A., the home of her tween owner Sasha (Ariana Greenblatt), Sasha's mom Gloria (America Ferrera), and the corporate headquarters of Mattel Toys run by a nameless CEO (Will Ferrell).

Needless to say, Barbie's bubble is popped immediately. No longer the beloved center of a matriarchal society, she's fully unequipped to navigate life in Los Angeles (is anyone?) and is soon hunted by Mattel, who has been alerted of her and Ken's departure from Barbie Land. Luckily Barbie is able to track down Sasha, but sadly she seems to have traded in childhood playtime for teenage pursuits. (Mom, on the other hand, isn't as willing to move on.) Aiding Barbie in her escape from potential imprisonment at Mattel, they soon return to her pink, plastic home world... despite the nagging fact that Ken seems to be enjoying his sudden and unexpected time in the male-dominated spotlight.

Barbie hits a few speed bumps in the home stretch, none more so than an extended sequence soon after the revolting alpha-male Kens threaten to overthrow Barbie Land, culminating in an even more over-the-top musical montage and "war" that wears out its welcome quickly. This sequence serves up a few solid gags (none better than a decades-late takedown of Matchbox 20's irritating 1997 single "Push") but is otherwise hampered by major mixed-message issues, temporarily derailing what's otherwise a surprisingly focused, thoughtful, and dare I say occasionally subtle takedown of, like, every possible side, including what I believe to be its primary target of corporate feminism. Bottom line: the fact that Barbie had to cram almost 70 years of nostalgia and questionable history into a feature film under the thumb of both Mattel and a major studio and it still turned out this polished? That's a minor miracle. Whatever your potential quibbles with its story may be, though, the film's production design, performances (especially Margot Robbie, who's just perfect), and overt enthusiasm use enough beauty cream to smooth over most of Barbie's wrinkles.

Originally teasing fans with a February 2024 home video debut (your guess is as good as mine), Barbie was recently announced unexpectedly for this mid-October release date which will undoubtedly make it a decently big seller during the upcoming holiday season. Available separately, this stand-alone Blu-ray edition and its 4K-only counterpart offer outstanding A/V merits; the extras are below average, but certainly not enough to spoil the party.

Barbie Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

My recent review of the 4K-only edition offers a cursory overview of Barbie's visual aesthetic, a combination of Barbie Land's effective pink-and-plastic production design and more down-to-earth "real world" visuals that holds up nicely on home video. While this Blu-ray's 1080p, SDR transfer is scaled down from its 4K source material and offers none of its tangible HDR enhancement, it's a decent runner-up that still features strong image detail, visible textures, and bold color representation that will look suitably strong on small to mid-sized displays. Bolder hues can't help but run a little unnaturally hot and some of its subtler tones don't show as much visual variance, yet base colors and skin tones still look accurate. Despite the format's smaller amount of real estate -- 50GB, as opposed to the triple-layered 4K disc's 100GB -- and less efficient codec, only trace levels of macro blocking could be spotted during Barbie's most visually complex sequences. In short: normies can grab the DVD, the wide majority of home video enthusiasts will be served well with this Blu-ray, and obsessive videophiles probably just clicked on this review for the screenshots.

Barbie Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

Equally impressive is Barbie's Dolby Atmos presentation, which is closer to a regular 7.1 track than expected yet offers a handful of height-exclusive sonic touches. But if you're like most and haven't adopted that newer format, very little is lost in the downmix and you'll still find this to be a supportively powerful and dynamic effort. Vibrant scenes in Barbie Land are obvious standouts, where front-forward music combines with occasionally enveloping background effects and swirling dialogue, while "the real world" follows suit with a more down-to-earth but nonetheless immersive atmosphere where crowd noise and other location-based elements make their presence known during key moments. Still, the bulk of its weight comes from the front three channels with occasional punches of LFE, where the mid-rage enjoys strong representation while leaving plenty of room for deeper lows. It's an effective presentation that mirrors the visuals in overall "feel", if that makes sense, which often makes this mix just as impactful as its eye candy.

Optional subtitles, including English (SDH), are included during the main feature and extras below.

Barbie Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

This one-disc release ships in a sadly non-pink keepcase with poster-themed cover artwork, a matching slipcover, and a Digital Copy code. Extras are limited to a half-dozen surface-level behind-the-scenes featurettes, which is disappointing given the film's themes, outstanding production design, and massive box office success.

• It's A Weird World (5:03) - Margot Robbie, Kate McKinnon, Greta Gerwig, and others briefly talk about McKinnon's "Weird Barbie" character and her unique place in Barbie Land.

• All-Star Barbie Party (4:57) - The above participants, along with Ryan Gosling and producer David Heyman, discuss the casting process and fun, light-hearted on-set vibe.

• Musical Make-Believe (9:11) - A breakdown of the colorful dance party sequence early on in the film, complete with rehearsal footage and comments from cast and crew members.

• Becoming Barbie (6:29) - Margot Robbie and others talk about her central role and physical transformation into Barbie, including costumes, makeup, hairstyles, and even a few scrapped ideas.

• Welcome to Barbie Land (12:01) - Barbie's production design gets a bit of love here, including its colorful sets and other "authentically artificial" elements, as well as the importance of a childhood perspective.

• Playing Dress-Up (7:27) - Key cast and crew members discuss the extensive costume design.

Barbie Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

The surprisingly something-for-everyone enjoyment value of Barbie was a mild shock to yours truly, proving that its 2023 box-office dominance was hardly a fluke. (June's "Barbenheimer" phenomenon helped a little, of course.) This is an ambitious story and, though it hits a few speed bumps in the home stretch, Barbie certainly has great moments and the performances and production design to match. Like its ticket sales, Warner Bros.' sorta-surprise release window will make it a huge holiday seller on home video (relatively speaking, at least), even if the bonus features and packaging feel less than inspired. Barbie is a terrific looking and sounding production and, while this Blu-ray obviously falls short of the 4K UHD's visuals, it's still a great-looking disc and otherwise identical. Highly Recommended.