Greta Gerwig and Christopher Nolan saved film. That may be a slight stretch, but when viewing the mass heap of sequels and remakes that came out this year, one can realize that the argument is valid. July 21st of 2023 will be regarded as a monumental day in film, as it not only held the strangest ‘‘twin film’’ screening in movie history but has released some of the most profoundly original and innovative films that will change the current stale landscape that Hollywood has currently found itself within.

What is ‘‘Barbenheimer’’?
The term ‘‘Barbenheimer’’ originates from conjoining ‘‘Barbie’’ and ‘‘Oppenheimer’’, two drastically different movies thematically yet equally awaited for. They released on July 21st, 2023, making them ‘‘twin films’’. These are films that are released on the same day (or at least near one another’s release date) and that have similar thematic elements (think ‘‘Antz’’ and ‘‘A Bug’s Life’’). In this case, the two movies are polar opposites of one another, making them great pair to screen on the same day to avoid dryness in terms of theme and/or plot similarities. Knowing this, fans have been hilariously mashing the two movies together in fan posters that would feature Cillian Murphy (the actor who plays J. Robert Oppenheimer) and Margot Robbie (the actor who plays Barbie) interacting in some way shape, or form. I’ve even seen a ‘‘Wish You Were Here’’ parody with the two characters. In any case, the content of the movies themselves is a completely different story when speaking about this whole event.

‘‘Barbie’’ Mini-Review
Barbie was a lovely surprise. I went into the movie with zero expectations and this surpassed any that I’d have for any movie in general. Outside of the great ‘‘2001: A Space Odyssey’’ reference in the intro of the movie (which was teased in the official trailer for the film), this movie is not for children as most people would think. This movie was definitely created for an adult audience (which was probably only made PG-13 because of Mattel). The amount of adult jokes, 4th wall breaks, and obscure references that go outside of discontinued Barbie dolls amazes me. They went as far as to reference ‘‘Pavement’’, a slightly obscure indie rock band of the 90s. The movie knows how silly its own premise is and bathes in it, which is what most licensed movies should take note of. The casting of the actors was phenomenal as well. Ryan Gosling steals so many scenes with his unexpectedly funny acting that you wouldn’t get from him anywhere else and Margot Robbie plays the role of ‘‘stereotypical Barbie’’ perfectly. In terms of plot, it’s what you’d expect from a movie called ‘‘Barbie’’. To be brief, Barbie has to go to the real world and find her owner, which allows for a funny montage of Barbie and Ken interacting with people from the real world. Many story beats are generic and the social commentary can be seemed as forced at times, but it’s a Barbie movie. That’s what you’re gonna get, and for what I expected (which was nothing), I got a lot more than what I bargained for. A solid 4.5/5.

“Oppenheimer’’ Mini-Review
On the other side of the spectrum you have ‘‘Oppenheimer’’. As the title suggests, it is a biopic of the historical Julius Robert Oppenheimer, a famous physicist who would go on to lead the infamous ‘‘Manhattan Project’’, which would allow for the creation of the atomic bomb that would be dropped on Hiroshima and Nagasaki. If Cillian Murphy doesn’t get actor of the year then the Academy Awards are even more meaningless than they already are. His acting not only tells the emotional state of the character through a few glances but tells a story of what he is experiencing. He gives the audience a peek into his life through his emotions, attitudes, and vocal variety, and becomes Oppenheimer. Robert Downey Jr., when looking at the person he plays through images, is perfectly cast. Florence Pugh steals the show with the few scenes she is in, as her character is perfectly deranged enough for the likes of Oppenheimer’s calculated insanity. Christopher Nolan, once again, is the true star of the show through his practical effects, cutaways to representations of fission, and even sanity effects on the character of Oppenheimer that haunt him throughout the film (mostly after he tested the atomic bomb). The philosophical talking points throughout the film take up a good portion of the runtime, whether it be in Oppenheimer’s thoughts or in conversation with other scientists working with him. It is a sorrowful and dense 3-hour film that flies by like it was only an hour long, a perfect companion to Barbie’s runtime of under 2 hours with a meandering tone of slight seriousness (but mostly lighthearted fun). Neither film is complete without the other (but I am definitely on team Oppenheimer). 5/5.

Significance
In the wake of the SAG-AFTRA protests as well as the writer strike going on in Hollywood, these films are perfect in timing in terms of release date. They show that the originality in Hollywood is still alive (even though it may be washed aside by the mass heaps of unoriginality that promote AI use in the future). ‘‘Oppenheimer’’ and ‘‘Barbie’’ represent what the writers are striking for: the unoriginality that stems from current Hollywood standards. Whether it be the push for streaming services (therefore rushing writers to push out as much content as possible) or utilizing AI tools to write and create shows, these films display originality that satisfies not only the audience but the creators of the media. I highly recommend that you see these two films (and if possible, one after another as I did), as I truly think this is a landmark in modern film history.