Barbarella (1968)

Up until Valerian and the movie of a 1000 bores, this was the worst psychedelic sf movie ever. Based on the comic from France and starring the put upon Jane Fonda (who should be forced to watch it anytime she opens her mouth about anything), this is a really silly and at times, dull movie. Typical eurotrash. I'd rather watch The Fifth Element any day of the week. While it does have a few interesting designs here and there, it's mostly silly. Some like it, they can have it.

I've been a fan of this film for years, but just recently re-watched it - on Blu-Ray and a big screen. Outstanding! It's a visual treat.Yes, if looking just at the surface, it's campy to the point of being silly, but that is the point. Jane Fonda, Anita Pallenberg and Milo O'Shea are just perfect. They, and the movie, are over the top, but actually do a great job of capturing that ethereal late-60's vibe (I was there and remember).So find the Blu-Ray, a big high-def screen, and maybe a glass of your favorite elixir on the rocks, dim the lights, settle in, and let this cult classic psychedelic moving picture art just flow over you!

This is going to be a simple review. The reason for it is that this movie aimed low, it was trying to be trash and it succeeded in maybe entertaining the kind of person who enjoys watching trash. The plot is that Barbarella is called for fan service... I mean an assignment by the President of Earth and current leader of the solar system that a scientist named Duran-Duran (That's how they pronounce it and yes that does make this movie hilarious whenever they say it) from creating a weapon, because in this future hippies and the counter-culture of the 60's is dominant across galaxies so she goes to a planet that doesn't have this and tries to find him. This movie is not for me, the entire movie is like a drug trip written on paper by someone who really hates war strung along by fan service of a 30 year old Jane Fonda. Oh and the fan service, if it's your thing to see women in extremely skimpy outfits of which she keeps changing them and doesn't put clothes on for 10 minutes, a character who for the first hour has sex every 20 minutes (including a WEIRD one where she joins hands with another person after taking pills until their hair flies everywhere... Did I mention this was like a drug trip?)... All this and more, if this is your thing then without judgement, you'll probably love this. The Visual effects are hokey but in all fairness I did like the creativity with some of the set design and this is probably the most 60's movie ever made, there is literally no other time period in which I can see this getting made. I know all I talked about is how drug-trippy this movie is and the fan service but, take that away - there isn't that much else to comment on. To sum up, this movie is trash - pure and simple. I didn't like it but I can see other people liking it so if trash is your thing then I'd recommend this.

I'm usually a fan of dated, camp science fiction movies but only when the camp is unintentional and not put on. Unfortunately with BARBARELLA, loads of effort has gone into making the film a camp comedy, one of those films you just know that the producers hope will be termed a "cult classic", and there's nothing I hate worse than a film which tries to be funny like that. This is the reason that BARBARELLA leaves me cold; it's a slow-paced, dated and extremely silly affair from beginning to end, more of a 60's fashion show than a real movie.I had been looking forward to watching this film for a while (Italian science fiction has always been an entertaining genre for me) but sadly the end result is a highly disappointing outing in '60s kitsch with little or no redeeming values for a modern audience. The best thing about the film are the imaginative and colourful sets, but these are countered by some appallingly dated special effects (the back projection in particular is awful) and a music score that really grates on the nerves with one or two dreadful songs.The plot is pushed so far into the background that it becomes non-existent, the film instead concentrating on the weird and wonderful characters that Barbarella (herself included) encounters on her journey. Most of the adventures are of the sexual variety, with Barbarella herself a highly sexual space creature - already in the opening credits we see her stripping naked from her spacesuit and then losing most of her clothes as the film gradually progresses along.Jane Fonda is plain annoying as Barbarella, although I'm positive that her style of acting was just what the doctor ordered, and her attempts at being sexy just do not work. Elsewhere, Euro-stalwart John Philip Law embarrasses himself as a blind angel - yes you heard me right. Meanwhile, we have French actors overacting, Milo O'Shea striving for the award for worst overacting as the baddie, and David Hemmings wasted as he stands around on the sidelines looking handsome. I had expected a lot more from director Roger Vadim than this silly, arty-farty look-at-me sci-fi comedy provides, and although I'm sure the film has an audience who enjoy this sort of thing, I know that I never can.