Barbarella

A comic book film created out of the ongoing sexual revolution, which speaks for itself. The markedly extravagant sci-fi bizarreness, which combines soft-eroticism and biblical motifs with fetish passages (e.g., smoking the “essence of a man" from a giant pipe in which several naked men swim) still enchants with visual originality, extraordinary craziness and self-ironic (hard to say if it’s intentional) humor. It's naive cheesy nonsense, but at the same time very entertaining, psychedelic and filmed with unprecedented creative zeal. The stories about the film's life in the subsequent years and its connection to Jane Fonda's private life are amazing. (2011.03.24)

Yes, it's silly, but it's entertaining silliness and an irresistibly naive attempt at light eroticism on the movie screen. The age of the Flower Power and the beginnings of the sexual revolution are on full display in this comic book adaptation. It's a sex-fuelled romp, with a sexy Jane Fonda in tight-fitting costumes – she is a joy to watch. The way a sweaty Jane destroys the executioner’s orgasmatron is a feat worth of an entire platoon of erotic warriors :) Also worth mention are the extravagant costumes and set design. On a side note, in its day Barbarella was often featured in midnight screenings. (2002.12.29)

Anyone who is even a little more interested in the character that is Roger Vadim must categorically reject the idea that Barbarella is either an intentional parody of the genre or a seriously intended film that got out of the hands of the creators. Vadim simply wanted to shoot a lighter soft-erotic film in the backdrop of the comic sci-fi world. And with the help of the youthful charms of Jane Fonda, he succeeded. It's not a good film, but it has such an entertainingly trashy form that it can attract many people. It truly only steals from the sci-fi genre. Fonda considered her performance in Barbarella as a bigger mistake than all her divorces and love affairs combined, and considering her feminist orientation, she was right. The film is one of the commercial consequences of the crisis in the film industry of the 60s when new forms of expression and limits of the possible were sought. The eroticism contained in the film now seems hopelessly funny and naive, but just a few years earlier, such a film would not have been released at all. Overall impression: 30%. (2008.01.11)

If I gave five stars to Flash Gordon, I have to give Barbarella the same. I know that this film is not the pinnacle of cinematic art and taste either, but it is a hugely entertaining (and sexy, yes) creation. A lighthearted sci-fi comedy romp that, if it weren't for Flash, would be mostly reminiscent of Austin Powers. Now if you'll excuse me, I'm gonna go get the soundtrack. (2012.09.23)

The film is the result of the Vadim/Fonda marriage, making it naive, funny, sexy. And stupid in places. Yet it's such a distinctive notch in pop culture that it's impossible to miss. The latest adventures are being released under the Dynamite brand, and there's already been a Barbarella/Dejah Thoris crossover. What more could you want? (2009.04.03)