Tonight, after over two months in wide release, BARBIE is finally playing on IMAX screens for the first time in its theatrical run. Look, I f*cking (insert Mattel logo here) love BARBIE. Before tonight, I had already seen it eight times in theaters. I’ve seen in in RPX, Dolby (twice), and regular theaters. Last week it was finally released D-Box and I reviewed that here: I WATCHED BARBIE IN 4DX – A REVIEW AND RECAP. I also gave my overall review of the BARBIE film here: HOW THAT BARBIE LOGO ADDS MEANING TO GRETA GERWIG’S FILM.
But this IMAX engagement called for another trip back to the theater. That’s right, I returned for my ninth viewing because I had to. BARBIE was released in theaters all the way back on July 21st (where were you when Barbenheimer happened?). And today, two months to the DAY later, September 21st, it has finally arrived in IMAX with a remastered and optimized print as well as a ton of extras, including a wonderful new post-credit addition of what is billed as “extra IMAX footage” (more on that in a second).
And I’m glad BARBIE is finally having time to shine in IMAX. With OPPENHEIMER grabbing most of those screen for its first month and pre-scheduled IMAX releases over the last four weeks, this was (believe it or not), the first time ANY film could sneak in for a week on IMAX screens (and on many BARBIE is still sharing the screen with other movies like A HAUNTING IN VENICE, THE NUN II and a re-release of STOP MAKING SENSE: a Talking Heads concert film. But surely theater owners were clamoring to get BARBIE in this premium format. And for good reason – even after two months, my massive IMAX theater here in San Diego was almost half-full on a Thursday night.
BARBIE: THE IMAX EXPERIENCE
And I’ll say this, BARBIE really is a different experience on IMAX. The sound is fine but it is the visuals that shine here like no other format. I noticed so many things that I hadn’t seen the first eight times. Some of it was probably unintentional, like the fabric of Barbie’s shag bedroom carpet, but there are also little details like seeing Physicist Barbie (Emma Mackey) brush her hair in the background in tandem with Stereotypical Barbie (Margot Robbie).
Also in a movie with so much work put into costumes, it is so rewarding to see many of them on IMAX in the finest detail. Here are some examples of the details: you can literally see the threads on Ken’s jean jacket, you can see the colors erupt on their flourescent rollerblading costumes in ways previously unexperienced, you can see the subtle shimmer in Stereotypical Barbie’s plaid blazer that she wears in her third act return to Barbieland.
Lastly, Greta Gerwig gives a brief but heartfelt introduction to the IMAX version that was filmed after BARBIE’s phenomenal success. Her joy and enthusiasm really hit me in an emotional place. If you’re an audience member that loved the film, I think you’re really going to appreciate that small but important touch.
THAT EXTRA IMAX FOOTAGE
And about that extra IMAX footage – it is WELL worth it to stick around and watch it after the credits roll. It lasts almost 5 minutes in length, and while none of it is a deleted scene in full, there are plenty of parts of scenes, outtakes, bloopers, and rehearsal footage (which I found fascinating). Some of the footage is found in the EXTRAS for the recent BARBIE digital release – but some (especially many of the outtakes) are not. And I do feel like you get to see MORE of the images that were showcased in the EXTRAS. You get to see Margot rehearse the “Dance The Night” scene and you get to see the Kens record their “I’m Just Ken” song for the cast album. You get to a glimpse of the heavily rumored Midge birthing scene (although it is really just an assembly of a few different angles and outtakes).
But you also get to see Ryan Gosling improv a few hysterical lines (there’s an outtake of the iconic “SUBLIME” line that is amazing) and Will Ferrell goes into detail about Thomas The Tank Engine’s dating life (you’ll have to see it – too hard to explain here). There’s also a series of VERY funny beach-off outtakes that probably echo what some audience members were thinking the first time they watched that scene. And please know this is just a taste of what to expect in the IMAX footage. There was almost so much coming at your so fast during this presentation, that you are bound to miss some of it. But for me, it gives me an excuse to go watch it IMAX again later this weekend.
MY RECOMMENDATION
Seeing BARBIE in IMAX is definitely worth it – whether this is your first time or your ninth. You get an amazing remastered print, a wonderful heartfelt introduction from Greta Gerwig, and the extra IMAX bonus footage, all of which make the experience well worth it. I’m not sure where I would rank it in terms of all the premium formats (Dolby, RPX, 4DX, and IMAX), though I think it would be towards the top. While I do think Dolby has better sound and a fun introduction (seeing that pink plane fly overhead into the Dolby Logo to the sound of Dua Lipa was really awesome), the size of the IMAX screen just brings something different that is just irreplicable in any of the other formats. If you’re a BARBIE fan and looking for a reason to see it again, this is it.
No Scoops Club 