Barbenheimer delivers two great but very contrasting viewing experiences

Barbenheimer has been the big thing this summer. You can't take two steps on the streets without seeing an advert for either of these movies and if you're the kind who doesn't subject your body to the perils of the outside worlds you can't have missed the countless memes on the internet. It's the father of the atom bomb vs. the stereotypical blonde girl. It's Oppenheimer vs. Barbie.

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I've been to watch both of these movies in the cinema during the summer and while I can safely say that I like the one better than the other I can also safely say that they are both good movies. They are also very different movies. Oppenheimer delivers a slow but intense story that is based on real events. Barbie delivers a silly and somewhat depressing story targeting patriarchy and the struggles of women in todays society.

Oppenheimer was the clear winner for me. How the story is told and how it builds up is simply done in a masterful way. Just what you would have expected from Christopher Nolan. It borrows a lot from his earlier works. The way the music was implemented and how the movie was cut and builds reminded me a lot of Dunkirk. It was all very Nolan-esque.

Yet, Barbie is most likely the most memorable of the two. It's in many ways more unique than what Oppenheimer is. If you manage to see through all the pink gloss there is a powerful message behind the movie. Using a brand like Barbie that has this big of a reach to convey that message is simply very clever.

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Oppenheimer tells the story of Robert Oppenheimer who was the leading man in developing the atomic bomb. The movie delves into all aspects of this story from the researching and building of the bomb in Los Alamos to the security hearings accusing him of being a communist. This is all cut together in a way that keeps the viewer on edge for the full 3 hours of the movie. When the movie ends you've been told a story about how the world was forever changed.

Barbie tells the story of Barbie living in Barbieland. There are all sorts of Barbies living in Barbieland and they're all called Barbie. All of the Barbies that has been presented through time are present from President Barbie to Stereotypically Blonde Barbie. In Barbieland everything is perfect and every day is girls day until one day it simply isn't. From here on out it's all about patriarchy and feminism all delivered with a great sense of humor.

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Both of these movies has a really great cast. Oppenheimer is specked with great actors like Cillian Murphy, Emily Blunt, Robert Downy Jr, Gary Oldman and I also have to mention the Norwegian Trond Fausa who got a surprising amount of screen time during the climaxing minutes of the movie. All of these actors and the ones that went unmentioned did a fantastic job in their roles.

Margot Robbie and Ryan Gosling are the poster actors for Barbie. Still we get to see quite a few known faces. Michael Cera portrays a weird and insecure discontinued doll named Allan. Basically a role made for him. I normally don't like Will Ferrell but he really suited his role of the goofy CEO of Mattell. There's also a fantastic cameo from John Cena as a mermaid.

I would really recommend watching both of these movies. If you're only going to watch one of them in the cinema I would definitely choose Oppenheimer. There's a few scenes that I imagine are far more impactful on the big screen and with a powerful sound system than they are on the TV. While the colorful world of Barbie also has its place on the big screen the message they are trying to convey is easily justified being conveyed on the small screen.

^{All images in this post are screenshots taken by me.}

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