It’s a new year, and with that let’s reflect on some of the biggest blockbusters of 2023 for the last part of this review series.
Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse (9/10)
Even as an animated film, Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse is easily one of the best movies of the year. Stating the obvious, this movie is a visual masterpiece. Its predecessor, “Into the Spider-Verse, revolutionized the realm of animated films and this movie continues to take a bold leap and soar past the goalpost. The animators’ effort to top themselves is evident; each frame is imbued with minute details and references to the long history of Spider-Man.
With the character’s sixty-year history, certain traits are needed to define a great Spider-Man story. Not only do you need a relatable Spidey with wit and brevity, but also a balance between genuine pathos and a strong emotional core. Co-written by comedic veterans Phil Lord and Christopher Miller, the script of this story is witty and sharp, successfully presenting serious themes and moral dilemmas with snarky comedic beats. The characters hoist the film again after being one of the strongest aspects of the first Spiderverse movie: they are enriched through their flaws and struggles, but most of all their will to persevere in the face of innumerable odds.
While there are certainly a few weaknesses to the film, they don’t affect the overall quality much. Though this film is a visual spectacle, it sometimes is overwhelming. The design of multiple universes and abstract settings can feel as though your eyes are being bombarded. The pacing of the second act’s beginning fires at a break neck speed, barely giving the audience time to breathe, as characters and concepts are simultaneously introduced and sidelined. The worldbuilding also contains elements which could be problematic in the mythology of Spider-Man, as the main villain is a haunting reinvention of a classic, goofy Spider-Man character but isn’t given enough screen time. Overall, Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse is a phenomenal work of art, easily trumping the already revolutionary style of its predecessor. Despite surpassing the first film in visuals, it just falls short in the script, lacking a complete structure in its resolution. Nonetheless, every line is soulful, aiding a story that puts its three-dimensional (figuratively and literally) characters first. The otherworldly soundscape of the music makes this not just one of the most innovative animated films to grace the silver screen, but a spectacular work of art. Animation is cinema.
Barbie (4/10)
Let’s start on a positive note: this film is categorized as a “fantasy comedy”, succeeding in what it’s supposed to be. The cast of comedy powerhouses — Will Ferrell, Ryan Gosling, America Ferrera, and Margot Robbie — elevates the otherwise shoddy material. Gosling in particular dominates the screen with his entertaining performance, which can’t be said to describe the rest of the film.
Oscar-nominated filmmakers Greta Gerwig and Noah Baumbach have a strong admiration for the Barbie brand, paying homage to the toy’s 60 years of history, seen through the gorgeous pastels of Barbieland’s production design. Against the film’s generally poor attempt to provide a social critique, it does manage to reconcile with the influence of this doll’s creation.
Now, the bad. Where to even begin? First, this movie lacks internal consistency with its rules and worldbuilding, extending to the leaps of logic used in its messaging. Characters that are depicted as powerful and influential unexpectedly crumble like dust when the plot requires. The writers are perfectly fine with reducing the values of our modern world to those of the 1950s to make strawman arguments about men and masculinity, casually ignoring the decades of social and political progress in women’s rights. Every male character is negatively portrayed as a one-dimensional object. The spiteful undercurrent of misandry can be harmful — rejecting an amicable conclusion for the gender conflict fails to strive towards an ideal of equality, creating an inaccurate quip of women rather than showing how society can improve. If you want an actual good movie about female empowerment directed by Greta Gerwig, watch Little Women instead. Now that’s a great film.
Oppenheimer (8/10)
Getting the better end of the “Barbenheimer” trend, the three-hour historical drama Oppenheimer made close to a billion dollars and deserved every single cent.
The cinematography is stellar and the best in Christopher Nolan’s career. The camera work places the audience in the character’s shoes becoming an extension of their worldview, encapsulating their feelings perfectly. Aside from the technical, an immense cast of A-list actors is included. Yet, it never feels gimmicky because all of them are great at selling their characters and the story, embodying them with life and energy. Emily Blunt steals the spotlight as Kitty Oppenheimer — the physicist’s wife, showing a fierce and assertiveness that her husband at times lacks. Other notable mentions go to Matt Damon’s down-to-earth military officer, Robert Downey Jr’s quietly spiteful politician, and Benny Safdie’s ridiculous but charming accent. Of course, the highlight of the show is Cillian Murphy as J. Robert Oppenheimer. He plays the part perfectly, channelling the voice of a hopeful, weary man of science, conveying every raw emotion that the impact of his actions makes him undergo. Nolan is not concerned with displaying the personality of J. Robert Oppenheimer but merely presents his life, his reactions, and his justifications, allowing the audience to come to their own conclusions.
In terms of the narrative, the central story about a man haunted by his creation is told in a resonant and sincere way, punctuated with sharp and fast dialogue that make long conversations feel like action scenes. Most of all, this story is intense and always conveys intensity to keep the audience hooked.
But this is not true all of the time. As a nonlinear narrative, certain parts of the story are more interesting than others, with some storylines plodding and feeling repetitive. Nolan’s dedication to historical accuracy and encapsulating a man’s entire life also drags it down a bit, taking up even more screen time and creating unnecessary convolution, as past, present, and future all play out at the same time in the middle of rapid-fire exposition. But despite these issues, the climax that the movie builds towards is worth the wait, as every element of the movie; the score, the acting, the claustrophobic cinematography, all culminate towards a crescendo.
So, does Oppenheimer need to be three hours? Probably not. The hyper fixation on factual accuracy and inconsistent pacing add unnecessary time, the heart pounding narrative at the center of the film keeps it memorable and enduring. In general, the success of this film is monumental to the way movie studios will approach greenlighting films in the future. It shows that it is worth it to spend a lot of money on original, untested ideas helmed by great filmmakers, and that audiences are willing to give their shot at something more cerebral.
This marks the conclusion of my series — Blockbusters of 2023. No amount of descriptive language could perfectly describe a film, which is why I encourage readers to watch these movies yourself to form your own perspective. Next issue, I will be back to cover the awards season and some thoughts on the winners and nominees too. I’ll see you at the movies!