Barbarella — Review

Buck Rodgers meets sexy, sparkly, ‘60s retrofuturism, BARBARELLA is a kitsch sci-fi adventure that’s equally as inventive as it is camp. Based on the French comic book of the same name by Jean-Claude Forest, Roger Vadim’s bizarre interstellar odyssey sets the tone early by using a sequence of slow spacesuit undressing as the backdrop for the opening credits, with Jane Fonda essentially providing a zero-gravity striptease. Fonda plays the titular space explorer with conviction and wide-eyed charisma, wearing her sex appeal proudly on her sleeve. Barbarella exists free of societal expectations and constraints, but whether she truly embodies the monicker of a ‘feminist icon’ is up for interpretation.

From a technical standpoint, BARBARELLA sets itself apart. Vadim frequently populates the screen with elaborate production design and stunning costumes, many of which are worn by Fonda, who switches outfits at regular intervals. BARBARELLA possesses a distinctive visual appeal that allows the movie to transcend its limitations; placid supporting characters and a mundane plot get sidelined for cinematic pop art and pulpy panache. Fonda glides from one moment of fanciful sci-fi comedy to the next, never pausing long enough to let momentum dip but passing quickly enough to maintain an air of frivolousness, spinning the vacuous yet sweetly digestible material into cinematic candy floss.