The 1968 science-fiction film starring Jane Fonda in a futuristic space adventure is Barbarella. Fonda plays the title character, an Earth space traveler sent to find scientist Durand-Durand and stop his potentially destructive weapon.
Directed by Roger Vadim and produced by Dino De Laurentiis, the film adapts Jean-Claude Forest’s French comic series. Its colorful sets, extravagant costumes, surreal technology, and playful eroticism made it a distinctive example of late-1960s science-fiction cinema.
Barbarella travels to the planet Tau Ceti’s 16th planet, where she encounters strange civilizations, dangerous machines, and eccentric allies. The film is often remembered as much for its visual style and cult status as for its plot.
A common mix-up is confusing Barbarella with 2001: A Space Odyssey, another major 1968 science-fiction film. Kubrick’s film is a serious, philosophical exploration of human evolution, while Barbarella is a comic-book-inspired adventure with a deliberately fantastical tone.