BARBARELLA (1968) - ♦♦♦

Directed by - Roger Vadim

Written by - Claude Brulé, Terry Southern, Riger Vadim, Vittorio Bonicelli, Clement Biddle Wood, Brian Degas, Tudor Gates, Jean-Claude Forest

Starring - Jane Fonda

"Based on a comic book by Jean-Claude Forest, a highly sexually charged female named Barbarella is charged with the task of tracking down and stopping cosmic villain Durand-Durand from threatening the peaceful living of the solar system.

This film has a lot to its credit, and one of these things is having made a sex symbol and star out of Jane Fonda. At the end of the day, it is her presence and charisma that makes this film memorable and distinguishes it from the other silly b-movie science fiction films of the time. Of course, that and Dino De Laurentiis’ wallet, which makes the film look more beautiful, colourful and grand than most of its contemporaries.

Needless to say, the storyline is rather silly, but Barbarella is not a film to be taken too seriously. In fact, aside from the story and the cheesiness, there are some elements that make Vadim’s film rather fun and positively campy – including a happy soundtrack that roots this film deeply within its time span despite its futuristic setting."

Science Fiction, France/Italy