Barbie's (Margot Robbie) idealistic existence is upended when she begins to experience obsessive thoughts of dying. She sets out on a mission into the real world to get in touch with the person who plays with her in an effort to restore order.

Before you see even a glimmer of pink plastic, the soundscape that permeates the first few seconds of Barbie—wind and something somehow wonderful, yet little sinister—transports you to a shared memory. It immediately brings to mind The Wizard of Oz, before we meet another hero with magic shoes and her six-pack-sporting scarecrow. It promises a touch of gloom, grandeur, and nostalgia. The movie offers a lot more than that.

With a sardonic flair, Helen Mirren's wry narration sets the scene. She explains that the people who live in Barbieland have found a way to combat sexism as a world of finely detailed, shocking pink, purple, and aquamarine unfolds. Barbie can be anything, therefore it stands to reason that women can do the same. So why is Barbie thinking about ending her life on another gorgeous night, under a disco ball? With Ryan Gosling's clingy Ken along for the adventure, she must journey to the real world and locate her human in order to learn the answer.

The core storyline of Barbie comes to a conclusion here. A business executive (Will Ferrell) is attempting to put Barbie back in her box. A tired mother (America Ferrera) is attempting to rekindle her relationship with her irritable teenage daughter (Ariana Greenblatt). Yet Greta Gerwig and her writing partner Noah Baumbach scribble over the lines with their pastel crayons at any chance they get.

Barbie's numerous rotating plates cause some minor injuries. While the narrative expertly subverts recent Hollywood attempts at feminism - notably for a movie that is at surface-level 99.9% pink - at moments it falls short, reminding us that yes, this is still a toy movie. Blink and you'll miss some of the large and colourful ensemble cast.

Barbie's multiple spinning plates cause a few minor casualties. Despite the screenplay's clever subversion of recent Hollywood attempts at feminism, especially for a movie that is 99.9% pink on the surface, at times it falls short, reminding us that yes, this is still a toy movie. Blink and you'll miss some of the large and vivid ensemble cast.

However, Gerwig succeeds in luring us away from the Mattel and towards the meta. She has created a (physical) playground for her stars to run wild in, and it's exciting to see Robbie and Gosling effortlessly ride the comedic highs and existential lows of the movie, which land with unwavering, surprisingly honesty. She is now firmly in her big studio-directing age. Barbie is a movie that defies categorization, much like its glitzy lead, raising the standard for what a popcorn flick is capable of. We might not be in Oz, but we most definitely are not in Kansas either.