We all see the memes about Barbie and Oppenheimer, such as Oppenheimer memes with the main character’s face when he realizes he made a weapon of mass destruction that is equal or more than the meme where Walter White falls to the ground.
Those who have been to the movies during opening night must have seen many people wearing pink and wondered why. Well, people on social media, like TikTok, made the trend of wearing all pink to watch Barbie. But there was something even crazier than that, people’s boyfriends and girlfriends had dumped them after watching the Barbie movie. Can you believe someone dumped their girlfriend or boyfriend because of a movie’s message?
Looking at the Oppenheimer memes I can relate to like “This is how it felt doing math homework with your dad.” Most people can relate because we all get help from someone with math homework, but once we ask Dad, we never ask again.
Looking at the ads for the movie there is a great difference between both movies. Oppenheimer’s ads show the creation of the bomb and some tests run along with our main character’s face which is a mixture of depression and shock and it carries a depressing feel throughout the movie. Barbie has a happy vibe and it shows mostly the set which looks like plastic and is 1:1 to some of the toys and you can tell that it feels fake.
We talked to the people who agreed to be interviewed and they answered the following questions:
Q: What made you watch both of these movies
“I know a lot of the actors like Ryan Gosling and because of the song “I’m Just Ken” Ryan Gosling is amazing –Karis Kim 10 grader
“I really wanted to go with my friends we were talking about it for a while and one of their older sisters suggested it so when both came out we watched both,” said Eil Cigler, 10.
“I decided to do Barbenheimer because 1. I was really interested in both movies and 2. I don’t think there’ll be another situation like this for a while where two completely different blockbusters release on the same day,” said TJ Brescia 11
Q: Which movie did you like the most
“I like Barbie better because it was more fun,” chose Cigler.
“Probably Barbie because I have seen it more,” said Kim.
“I liked Barbie the most. Oppenheimer was still amazing and really impactful but Barbie was just a really fun time, probably the best and most creative blockbuster I’ve seen in a while!” said Brescia.
Q: which had the biggest message and what do you think it is
“I think Barbie mostly just because a lot feminist themes empower women. For me it made me reflect on my relationship with my mom and older woman in my life,” said Cigler.
“Oppenheimer definitely had a bigger and more powerful message with its themes around morality and the destruction humanity brings. It was a harder film to digest compared to Barbie,” responded Brescia.
“They both had pretty big message but Barbie was more focus on women but Oppenheimer was more focus on the world so I guess Oppenheimer because it most of the main character guilt on creating a weapon of mass destruction,” answered Kim.
Q: What movie would you recommend to a friend
“I would recommend both but it really depends on what they are looking to watch cause if they want to see a movie that if good from a film standpoint then I would recommend Oppenheimer but it a bit dark so if you are looking for the same thing but not dark then I would recommend Barbie,” said Cigler.
“Barbie is easier to recommend to my friends. It’s just harmless fun but still has important themes throughout,” answered Brescia.
“Barbie because it is more light-hearted and has two songs,” decided Kim.
Q: Opinion on Barbieheimer
“Barbenheimer is awesome. Both movies are incredible and I’m happy they’re both getting the love they deserve,” said Brescia.
“It was the whole reason I went for the memes. It’s just Barbieheimer,” said Cigler.
I t’s a interesting combination it something I won’t put together barbie about women and women empowerment and then Oppenheimer bombs and war it’s just two very different things,” said Kim.
When comparing both movies, there are different ways one could look at the message of them: Oppenheimer is the most clear and impactful, but is a dark movie overall. Unlike Barbie which had a lighter setting then Oppenheimer. Overall, I believe Oppenheimer is the better movie. Even though it is a dark movie, it has a great message. At the box office, we could tell which movie is more popular. Barbie earned more than 1 billion dollars in the box office, but Oppenheimer only made 788 million dollars. Thus, Barbie was the more preferable.
