'The Mandalorian' Actor Werner Herzog Compares Barbie Land to Hell

Barbie Land's citizens might look like they're having a great time in "Barbie," but it turns out they're actually living a hellish nightmare ... at least according to one legendary film director.

Actor/director Werner Herzog -- known for his role as The Client in 'Mandalorian' -- sat down on "Piers Morgan Uncensored" earlier this week when the biggest flick of 2023 came up ... and Herzog didn't mince words when it came to the movie.

Werner admitted he only watched about 30 minutes of the Oscar-nominated film ... but he's theorizing Barbie Land isn't a magical wonderland -- but somewhere with a much hotter climate.

Herzog said, "I don't have an answer, but I have a suspicion. Could it be that the world of 'Barbie' is sheer hell? And, for a movie ticket, as an audience you can witness sheer hell as close as it gets?"

Piers told his guest he's actually seen the whole flick, and he thinks Werner's spot on when it comes to his assessment.

Werner's words are perhaps the most shocking indictment of the film that's charmed worldwide audiences and received a lot of awards buzz. It's up for eight Academy Awards this year and made over $1 billion at the box office ... not exactly torturing viewers.

Still, it's not like Barbie's winning every award this season ... it was completely shut out at the BAFTAs and only won two of the nine Golden Globes awards it was up for.

So, it seems "Barbie" isn't exactly putting the critics in a heavenly mindset ... but to call parts of the movie hell might be taking it a bit too far.

FWIW ... "Barbie" is up for four SAG Award nominations with the show kicking off in just a few hours, so we'll have to wait and see if the guild gives the movie its laurels.