One Common Feature ‘Barbie’ And ‘Oppenheimer’ Might Just Share

Despite the Internet joke that made “Barbie” and “Oppenheimer” into an odd double feature, they wouldn’t seem to have anything in common.

The two movies do, however, have one thing in common that is frequently thought to be forbidden during the sequel-heavy summer blockbuster season: they both push viewers to ponder.

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Although it may not seem like a special requirement, thinking is not actually required to sit back and take in the sensory explosion of “Fast X” or the most recent “Transformers” prequel.

Before the fall brings the yearly rush of festivals and prestige fare, leaving your brain at the door has nearly become synonymous with watching movies in the summer.

The wonder twins known as “Barbenheimer”—joined by their common debut date—clearly take distinct approaches to the idea of requiring audiences to ponder in varied degrees.

The three-hour epic “Oppenheimer” by director Christopher Nolan centers on morality issues and the introduction of a weapon into the planet that gives humanity the ability to destroy itself in a head-on race against the Nazis during Planet War II.

The fact that we are still concerned about the nuclear threat over 80 years later, in the middle of another war, puts a provocative bow on the belief—or, maybe more precisely, hope—of Manhattan Project organizer J. Robert Oppenheimer that the very possession of the atomic bomb would make war “unthinkable.”

Oppenheimer’s sobering, even depressing tone was intended to be challenging to audiences, and it exemplifies Nolan’s boldness when it comes to doing so, whether it be through the use of  ideas in “Inception” or “Tenet” or the themes of vigilantism and a surveillance state in “The Dark Knight.”

A “serious” movie wouldn’t wither in the July heat, according to the filmmaker and Universal Studios, therefore simply releasing the movie during the summer made a message.

The topic of “How do we build a film around a doll?” was turned into a discourse on how Barbie, with her unrealistic figure and vibrant accessories, fits into the twenty-first century in “Barbie,” which also leaned into the formula for thinking-person’s summer movies.

That involves a run-in with “the real world,” where women are ogled and don’t control every seat on the Supreme Court, and a shocking awakening about the patriarchy that exists there.

Inevitably, Barbie’s embrace of feminism and inclusivity has sparked a “Barbie” backlash from the expected sources who thrive on cultural outrage, even though the film’s abundant box-office haul – doesn’t do much to support the “Go woke, go broke” assertion.

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It’s possible that audiences’ lack of knowledge about what to expect contributed to their curiosity, which is one benefit of an original, or at least novel, concept.

In their different ways, “Barbie” and “Oppenheimer” rewarded that curiosity by getting viewers to consider topics outside of the theater.