Birds of Prey (and the Fantabulous Emancipation of One Harley Quinn)

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Since Wonder Woman that the DCEU has not missed a beat. Even though the latter is still my favorite of the universe, I have mostly a positive opinion about Justice League, Aquaman, and Shazam! Yes, these are not the greatest comic-book movies of all-time, but I would be lying if I denied that I was entertained. Birds of Prey follows the same path: it's fun, action-heavy, and it boasts a phenomenal cast. It has some issues regarding the actual plot and a few characters, but I'll get there.

First of all, let me get the mandatory compliments to Margot Robbie's performance out of the way. If there's a DC character better than Harley Quinn for Robbie to portray, please let me know, because I think she's absolutely perfect as a lunatic, over-the-top psychiatrist-turned-psychopath. Suicide Squad might be a total mess, but I doubt anyone denies how Robbie fits seamlessly into the Harley persona. From her looks to the way she speaks and from her physical movement to her facial expressions, there's just no better casting.

She embodies the whole film's chaotic vibe and even contributes to the (very) colorful set design. However, she's not the only one who delivers a spectacular performance. Jurnee Smollett-Bell offers a surprisingly captivating display as Dinah Lance / Black Canary. Even though Harley Quinn is the main character, I found myself caring a lot about Dinah. Her way of living suits the character's personality like a glove, and she's undoubtedly the best-written secondary character of the movie. Unfortunately, I can't say the same about the others, and this is one of my biggest issues.

It's a film packed with cliches and attempts of making the characters aware of those cliches, which is also, well, something pretty overused. What's more generic? Having the bad guy telling the hero their masterplan or having the hero stating how the bad guy is incredibly dumb...

Pretty good Movie, I did not expect Harvey Quinn can kick ass like that. I can see some guy can be turn off this movie because all women hero team. I find it very entertaining and well made.

Garbage. Nothing, and I REALLY MEAN NOTHING good to say about this.

I really dug “Birds of Prey (And the Fantabulous Emancipation of One Harley Quinn)” because it is unlike any movie I’ve seen before. There are the conventional-minded and flashy action scenes that accompany most superhero characters, but this is a violent, R-rated, naughty-joke, potty-mouthed comic book tour de force made for women over 25. It’s a boisterous good time for feminists and girl nerds everywhere.

The film is told from the twisted and deliciously sarcastic point of view of Harley Quinn (Margot Robbie), ex-girlfriend of the Joker. When the evil Roman Sionis (Ewan McGregor) puts out a hit on a young petty thief (Ella Jay Basco), the most nefarious villains turn Gotham City upside down looking for her. When Harley crosses paths with Huntress (Mary Elizabeth Winstead), Black Canary (Jurnee Smollett-Bell), and cop Renee Montoya (Rosie Perez), the women learn they have no choice but to team up in order to take Sionis down once and for all.

The heartbeat of the film lies in Robbie’s iconic character interpretation of Harley Quinn. She is terrific in making her naughty character with a mean streak easy to love. Harley isn’t exactly a woman you want to emulate, but it sure would be fun to hang out and be friends with her.

All of the supporting performances here really are first-rate too. McGregor chews scenery with audacious glee, and his villain is truly terrifying. With the addition of a diverse, kick-ass female supporting cast playing equally bad-ass superheros, the film takes a multicultural feminist slant that thankfully doesn’t seem forced by committee.

“Birds of Prey” is the type of scrappy mayhem that gives a sparkle of excitement to the mostly bland and boring DCEU. It’s colorful and chaotic, reckless and energetic, and I am surprised that I enjoyed this movie as much as I did. This is a really, really fun spectacle that could bring new fans to the genre.

'Birds of Prey' its absolute thrill ride. It's unapologetically fun and crude and violent. To quote Saoirse Ronan from 'Little Woman'... "Women."

• Chris dos Santos

Read Chris' full article... https://www.maketheswitch.com.au/article/review-birds-of-prey-im-here-to-report-a-terrible-crime-dc-has-saved-cinema

I am afraid to say,, but after watching Suicide Squad which was pretty good. This is a let down and I was looking forward to watching it. After watching this I think if there was a plot/story behind the movie, I couldn't see it it was all over the place and nothing seemed to follow. All I can say about this movie is the Actors/Actresses were paid to be stupid and not funny, I hoped for better things and got trash.

Very refreshing and funny, The movie is very different from like any team-up movie I've ever seen, it will make you forget that it's a superhero movie entirely it feels like it's just a crazy movie with criminal minds all over the city moving quite freely in fancy dress until one scene of Black Canary where you realise yeah you're watching a super-hero movie they gota show their powers. It's violent and humorous and Margot Robbie's Harley Quinn is Fantastic and I really loved the Crossbow Killer, DCEU has come up with really great works since the Justice League (ignoring the Aquaman) and if you're counting the upcoming DCEU movies then you'll see a very great future for DC with Batman, Shazam 2 and Wonder Woman sequel.

If COVID-19 ushered cinemas off this mortal coil, I'm kind of strangely okay with telling people this was the last thing I ever got to see on the big screen.

Final rating:★★★★ - Very strong appeal. A personal favourite.

Margot Robbie's Harley Quinn was one of the few highlights of Suicide Squad but once this one was announced, I felt indifferent and the trailers didn't do much to change that to the point I skipped this in theaters. Watching it now, I came away shrugging my shoulders. Some of the action scenes, supervised by Chad Stahelski, were okay but the pacing was all off and the actual BIRDS OF PREY, were sidelined and don't really get any memorable moments. Similarly, Ewan McGregor was alright but a weak villain.

As a fan of the Batman comic book, outside of HQ, none of these resemble their counterparts, most notably Cassandra Cain who was a great character (trained as an assassin as a little girl by her father, David Cain, before being taken in by Bruce Wayne).

IDK, in the end this was a misfire and don't think it was the fault of an inexperienced director (using the same script, not sure anyone else would've made all that much better). Could be a case of being too much of a vanity project for Robbie. 2.75/5

Whilst many films have a message its a fine line between informing and lecturing.

For me "Birds of Prey" fails to appreciate this distinction. Its incessant, brittle, feminist finger wagging, is downright tiresome and quickly exhausted any sense of pleasure, I might have derived from this film.

Its a shame too, as the underyling mechanics of the story could have worked well as a basic, by the numbers, action mash up.

Regrettably that was not to be and whats left, is not something I would pay to see again. Which also applies to any spin offs or future efforts, in this vein.

2/10.