thomas-schroers People who are into James Bond Films will appreciate the tag line "Oh Jane!". In this case it also describes what is most important with regard to Barbarella. Jane Fonda. But while Jane has aged magnificently over the years, one can't say the same about Barbarella. Sadly, this is one of those movies, which were exciting then and when you watch it you can still see why that was the case, but nowadays it just isn't that exciting anymore. The visuals are clearly identified as staged, the oversexualization of Fonda seems forced and the story itself is pretty dull. Of course, one can image how this movie played at the time of its initial release. The guys who were in love with Fonda. The stoners and a little bit of counter culture. It has this B-Movie vibe, that would definitely come to life in the right, drugged up circumstances. But that wasn't the case when I watched. it Sober and interested in movie history I wanted to cover this gap. Finishing the movie I was satisfied with doing that, mildly entertained and of course thinking: Oh Jane!

Hunter Lanier Imagine "Bring Your Son to Work Day" in the Star Trek writer's room. While the adults are on lunch break after a fruitful morning of pounding out stories, their 14 year-old sons decide to make some changes. Poof: "Barbarella."Jane Fonda stars as the titular heroine, some sort of intergalactic ambassador for Earth. She's given a mission by the President of Earth--who insists getting dressed is wholly unnecessary--to collect a man by the name of Durand Durand--sounds familiar--who has built some sort of superweapon. The plot isn't important.The entire conception of the film seems to have been, "how many strange, creative outfits can we get Jane Fonda to wear, and how many strange, creative ways can we get those outfits off?" Her clothes are ripped to shreds by everything from metal-mouthed, porcelain dolls to an army of agitated parrots. I can get behind weirdness, and this film has plenty of it. In fact, it's a visual Chinese buffet--in that there's a little bit of everything and it's dirty. However, as goofy and bizarre as the film gets, it's insufferably lifeless--easily the most boring film ever made to include the line, "De-crucify the angel or I'll melt your face!"While not being the complete and total camp-fest I was hoping for, there's still a lot of smirk-inducing material. The interior of Barbarella's ship looks like the groovy inside of an inside-out buffalo. The climax to the film is, well, just that. And there's a blind angel who has the unique honor of delivering the most mundane last line in film history.Even some of the intentional humor works, including--but not limited to--such as the fact that Barbarella, whenever faced with an alien language, always tries her native English first, then--for some inexplicable reason--French. "Barbarella" isn't bad enough to be good or bad enough to be bad; it's trapped in the cinematic purgatory of "is that the one with the thing?" It does have one of the great opening credit sequences, I must say.

mgruebel I know Jane Fonda is not proud of this film. She has become too politically correct with time. And if you are politically correct, you won't like it either.The film is the epitome of the mid 60s, psychedelic, sex-and-rock-and-roll era. It manages to be comedic, sexy, offensive, and have sort of a plot, although it's mostly an excuse to show Fonda in scanty costumes.A film like this can go seriously wrong (like the 5-star "Casino Royale," which David Niven SHOULD better have forgotten). However, this romp never takes itself as seriously as Fonda, when she was forced to do so as an icon of the women's and exercise movements. So if you can handle a lot of tongue-in-cheek and tongue in various other places, this movie is weird and amusing. Just like the 60s. Why go see fake rehash like "Goldmember" when you can see the real thing?Where else can you get ideas like an army of steel-teethed dolls that chew the clothes off your body? Or a pipe organ that plays on (yes, you see this one coming) the other kind of pipe-shaped organ? On an angel, no less. Just for this odd collection of ideas, even if held together only tenuously by a plot-like stream of consciousness, this film deserves a "7." So: if you want to get a taste of what seemed mildly outrageous in the 60s, and ironically is more outrageous in our prim and politically correct times, grab a few beers and rent it. If you take yourself and 1968 films very seriously, better skip it and see "2001" again. Admittedly a much better film.

Kirpianuscus it was courageous, provocative, strange, fascinating, maybe. it remains provocative, fascinating. and amusing. a cocktail of rock, nudity, psychedelic art, Sci. Fi., eroticism in large slices and bizarre dialogs, chaotic scenes and fake links between the characters. one of lovely films about nothing. like a game of children. not complicated, out of rules, charming for possibilities, eccentricity, for the strange manner to translate reality in original forms.a parody, off course. but, more important, a delight. that status does it a legend despite the insignificant script. and new occasion for discover a Jane Fonda as a flame of a complicated revolution. a film who gives all to the viewer. as a child's game.