Spoiler warning: This article contains spoilers for Barbie.
John Carpenter didn't know what he was in for when he sat down to watch Greta Gerwig's Barbie, though the widely-regarded master of horror certainly isn't one to shy away from the intimidating. In an interview with the Los Angeles Times, Carpenter concluded it just didn't resonate.
"I can’t believe I watched Barbie," the director said in the interview. "It’s just not my generation. I had nothing to do with Barbie dolls. I didn’t know who Allan was."
Gerwig's rendition of Barbie won praise for its inventive visuals and charming humor, both of which helped to propel it to the top of the annual box office. While it was based on a toy traditionally marketed toward girls, it nevertheless enjoyed major crossover success.
It's not exactly shocking that Carpenter was out of his element watching the family-friendly blockbuster, considering his own movies are pretty much guaranteed to include murder and mayhem. The 75-year-old filmmaker has written, directed, produced and scored for an extensive portfolio of horror films, including 1978's Halloween.
Then again, other unexpected Hollywood legends have posted publicly with glowing reviews of the film. For instance, Dazed and Confused director Richard Linklater told NME the Barbie movie is "worth seeing a couple times".
Carpenter proceeded to offer a brief synopsis of the Gerwig film: "I can sum it up. She says, 'I don’t have a vagina,' and then at the end, 'I’m going to go to a gynecologist!' That’s the movie to me."
"I mean, there’s a patriarchy business in there, but I missed that whole thing. Right over my head," Carpenter went on, though he did praise Barbie's leading star: "But I think she’s fabulous, Margot Robbie."
For those of you who are fans of the franchise, mark your calenders for Oct. 17 to buy Barbie on Blu-ray and DVD. The film had its home digital release last month.
Katie Reuel is a freelance writer at IGN.
source https://www.ign.com/articles/horror-master-john-carpenter-admits-barbie-movie-went-right-over-my-head