Common Sense Media Review
By Tracy Moore
,
based on child development research. How do we rate?
Campy sci-fi cult classic features violence, nudity.
Parents Need to Know
Why Age 17+?
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Barbarella
What's the Story?
Barbarella (Jane Fonda) is a libidinous intergalactic space agent on a mission to find a missing inventor, but along the way she meets a curious slew of extraterrestrials, creatures, and eccentrics and navigates the sexual politics of the expansive galaxy.
Is It Any Good?
BARBARELLA is worth a watch for fans of cult flicks, old sci-fi, and the just plain weird. Although the set design, costumes, and swingin'-'60s aesthetic age well and fascinate, the plot itself and its attitude toward women and free-spirited sexuality -- with the protagonist being a sexy, up-for-sex glamazon on a mission involving a lot of weird, bizarre sexual situations, including being bitten and bloodied a lot -- feels excessively retrograde and punitive. Plus, don't be fooled by the PG rating -- there are bare breasts and lounging, beckoning, half-naked women at nearly every turn.
That said, it's not for kids. Although parents and their very mature teens may enjoy this cultural romp as artifact, the jokes, references, and frank discussions of futuristic sex (which, bewilderingly, is always assumed to require medication and machines) simply won't make sense to younger kids. Possibly, it won't make sense to anyone.
Talk to Your Kids About ...
Families can talk about the film's attitude toward women. What social and cultural changes for women are you aware of from the 1960s that might explain some of the film's bleaker set pieces? How does it compare to women in films today?
How does the violence of the film compare to violence in films today? Does it seem tamer? Weirder? How so?
Does the film's sense of humor ring funny to you? What kind of statement do you think the movie is making about science fiction as a genre or about the future of Earth viewed from the 1960s?
Movie Details
- In theaters : May 10, 1968
- On DVD or streaming : June 22, 1999
- Cast : Jane Fonda , Marcel Marceau
- Director : Roger Vadim
- Inclusion Information : Female Movie Actor(s)
- Studio : Paramount Pictures
- Genre : Classic
- Topics : Fantasy ( Magic ) , Adventures
- Run time : 98 minutes
- MPAA rating :
- Last updated : September 29, 2025
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