After leaving the Joker, Harley Quinn joins two vigilantes, a disgraced
cop, and a young thief to take down Gotham crime boss Black Mask. ACTION/CRIME
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Birds of Prey (2020)Directed by Cathy Yan
Written by Christina Hodson Starring Margot Robbie, Rosie Perez, Mary Elizabeth Winstead, Jurnee Smollett-Bell, Ewan McGregor, Ella Jay Basco, Chris Messina Spin-Off of 2016's Suicide Squad Based on characters from DC Comics |
I really hope the box office for this doesn’t ruin the uphill swing DC has been on recently. Especially considering how much better Birds of Prey turned out to be. Like, what happened? I mean, I was looking forward to this. But not like previous, recent outings from DC and their upcoming Wonder Woman 1984. This was definitely more of a curiosity to see if they could pull this off or not. So, my expectations weren’t too high. Cut to a night at the movies after spending some time out to sea and waiting for it to start. And, I got to say, by the time the credits rolled, I had a pretty big smile on my face. After the nihilism of Joker, this was a refreshing change of pace. I seriously don’t get why this isn’t doing that great. I’ll keep my fingers crossed for a sequel.
Unlike the title suggests, Birds of Prey actually starts out with fan favorite character, Harley Quinn. Which makes sense since this is her story first and a sequel second. Margot Robbie returns after her previous portrayal in the disastrous Suicide Squad. And, honestly, thank God she does. She was one of the few bright spots in the aforementioned film and is even better here. Robbie is clearly a fan of the character and was allowed a lot more creative freedom here. Her version of Quinn is deadly, crazy, and even sexy. Basically, everything you expect the character to be. I really hope to see her play this role for years to come. But, this time, she’s not the only one. Ewan McGregor portrays famous comic villain Black Mask. And, boy, is he having a great time. Before he puts on the mask, he owns the screen as a psychotic crime lord. One minute, he’s making you laugh; the next, he’s terrifying. As for when he finally puts on the mask, he continues to menace perfectly. It helps that the design is also fantastic. Not to say the rest of the cast gets shafted. The other Birds of Prey get proper introductions and are portrayed very well. The only character I didn’t really like the portrayal of was Victor Zsasz. I don’t know if it’s the direction or writing, but it just didn’t click for me. Other than that, again, this is probably the most fun I’ve had with a DC film. This makes me happy they got past the need to make everything dark and gritty. I’m just going to make this very clear, go see Birds of Prey. Let’s not ruin DC’s forward momentum and make them think they need to change things up again. I can’t take sitting through another Batman v Superman. This is a very fun movie anchored by two exceptional performances from Margot Robbie and Ewan McGregor. Personally, I’m hoping to see more of Harley Quinn and the Birds of Prey. |
I had very low expectations for Birds of Prey. I was not a fan of Suicide Squad, and the hype for this film was moderate at best. The DCEU has been so muddled and hit or miss, and with the recent serious Joker movie and the planned Batman reboot with Robert Pattinson, it looked like DC and Warner Bros. were either going to scrap the DCEU continuity or let it burn out. It took a female director and screenwriter, as well as the vision of star Margot Robbie, to finally depict the character of Harley Quinn as the self-proclaimed twisted hero of her own story. Birds of Prey is an enjoyable, hilarious, DC Comics movie that brings so many first time characters to the big screen, including Black Canary, Huntress, Cassandra Cain, Renee Montoya, Black Mask, and Victor Zsasz. Any comic fan will totally appreciate that.
Our hero (so to speak) is a recently emancipated Harley Quinn (Robbie), who is now on everybody's hit list since she broke up with the Joker, who gave her immunity. When she's captured by Gotham gangster Roman Sionis (McGregor), she makes a deal to recover a stolen diamond for him, a diamond that was taken by pickpocket Cassandra Cain (Basco). Along the way, Harley encounters disgraced cop Renee Montoya (Perez), Sionis crime family rat Dinah Lance (Smollett-Bell), and vigilante Helena Bertinelli (Winstead). They decide to join forces to stop Sionis from taking over the city, giving the audience one hell of a wild ride in the process. The film fucking earns the R-rating, finally embracing the darkest underbelly of the Gotham City criminal element. Joker's lack of presence doesn't hurt the movie. This is very much about Harley embracing her own capabilities and striving to be strong as a solo act. And it works thanks to Robbie's charmingly psychotic performance. Everybody performs admirably, particularly Ewan McGregor as Black Mask. This film has no weak link, the chemistry among the cast is flawless, and the film is wildly entertaining from beginning to end. I'm glad DC is letting directors do their own thing instead of letting the suits dictate production. The end result has been some of DC's best films in years, including Aquaman, Shazam!, and now Birds of Prey. |