'Birds of Prey' Review—Fantabulously Badass

Do you remember Suicide Squad? Of course you don't. And yet, the DC Extended Universe is back with another installment, and the results are...surprisingly good?

Birds of Prey (and the Fantabulous Emancipation of One Harley Quinn) is the longest movie title I've ever seen and is the eighth film of the DCEU. Up-and-coming filmmaker Cathy Yan directs this spin-off to Suicide Squad, which focuses on Harley Quinn's adventures after her breakup with the Joker.

Now, the DCEU has been all over the place in terms of its development and tone. Zack Snyder's Man of Steel and Batman v Superman have been divisive for their dark tone, while more recent DCEU films such as Shazam! and Aquaman have taken a more lighthearted approach to the superhero genre.

And this all-female superhero team-up movie is definitely on the lighthearted side as this is a funny, delightful superhero movie with a very colorful visual style and some stand-out performances from Margot Robbie and Ewan McGregor.

This film uses many interesting storytelling devices, which all contribute to giving this movie its amusing tone. For example, every time we're introduced to a new character, their name pops up on the screen along with their grievance with Harley.

It resembled the way characters were introduced at the beginning of Suicide Squad, but the difference is this movie does it in a way that's a lot funnier, more creative, and entertaining. This form of exposition opened up a lot of opportunities for some hilarious jokes.

Furthermore, this movie uses narration and a nonlinear structure in a way that feels reminiscent of Deadpool. And while there will be Deadpool comparisons, this movie stands on its own and has a unique voice and style of using these devices.

Having a nonlinear structure for this film was able to enhance the story by hiding information from the audience and then providing it to us later when the audience has more information. This style proved to be very useful in giving this movie a sense of fun.

Now, the central premise of the story is how every criminal in Gotham City is after a diamond, which was stolen by Cassandra Cain, and Harley goes after Cassandra as well to save herself from the evil Black Mask. At the same time, everyone else is connected to this story in their way.

This premise feels a bit derivative of other films, and it feels a bit too simple and not unique enough for a superhero movie. However, it remains effortlessly entertaining without a single dull moment in the film. It's a fast-paced, energetic ride that superhero fans are sure to gobble up.

One of the more surprising aspects of the film is how well-directed the action sequences are, which may be a result of Chad Stahelski, the director of John Wick, who stepped in as a second unit director during the film's reshoots.

Because of his contributions, the action scenes in this movie are directed with a lot of long, wide shots instead of shaky scenes filled with jump cuts. The fights and stunts are extremely well-choreographed and impressive, as the whole cast gets a piece of the action.

Much of the film is bursting with color and flair, such as a shootout where Harley faces off against police officers with colored smoke, glitter, and badass slow-motion kicks. The choreography and direction in these scenes are very creative and can put a grin on the faces of any moviegoer.

This film introduces audiences to some new characters. From Huntress to Black Canary, all of these characters are very well-developed, and they all have interesting personalities and backstories for the audience to learn about them.

While writer Christina Hodson decided to develop these characters with a lot of flashbacks and narration, she does so with scenes that have such an effortless charm.

Harley Quinn is developed a bit more as well. Hodson did an excellent job of making sure that her character remained a lousy person despite being the "hero" of this movie while also making Harley a bit more nuanced than she previously had in Suicide Squad.

Now, the weakest character in the film may be the villain, Black Mask. While the film does a great job of establishing how horrible he is by making him perform some grotesque acts throughout the film, he feels like a very disposable, forgettable villain.

Black Mask doesn't pose as a physical threat to Harley nor as an evil mastermind. He doesn't have a backstory, and he feels like he could be the villain in any superhero movie. Unlike how the Joker is tailor-made to be Batman's adversary, Black Mask and Harley Quinn have very little in terms of their hero-villain dynamic.

Despite the problems with the character, you can tell McGregor has a blast portraying this role, and Robbie is electric as Harley Quinn. She was the best part of Suicide Squad, and she remains the scene-stealer in this movie.

The supporting cast of the film also does a great job with their roles, making their characters very interesting with their personalities and portrayals.

But while everyone is entertaining to watch on screen, parts of the film do fall short. For example, despite the film's marketing, the members of the Birds of Prey don't meet until the final act. They all have their own goals and storylines before coming together at the end for an entertaining final battle that still felt a bit too small-scale for a team-up of this size.

Despite this being one of the DCEU's better installments, the film is underperforming at the box office in its opening weekend; this is likely due to the film's R rating, which feels pointless in retrospect given how minimal the language and violence is in this movie.

While other R-rated comic book films such as Deadpool and Joker have achieved financial success, this is because Deadpool is known for his wit and profanity, and Joker was supposed to be a dark, depressing character drama.

Birds of Prey, however? The conflict feels less intense than an Avengers movie, and many teenagers are unable to watch this movie without their parents simply because this movie has a few F-bombs and scenes of violence.

Furthermore, the title of the film is strange. Harley Quinn is only mentioned in the very long subtitle despite being the main character. Despite this movie being advertised as a Birds of Prey movie, this film is very much a Harley-centric movie. Because once again, the Birds of Prey don't appear in the same scene together until the final half-hour.

However, this movie is a colorful blast of entertainment with beautiful cinematography. Cathy Yan directs this movie very well, including a crime scene where we see it from two different perspectives and two different times without the camera visibly cutting.

While the end of this movie commits a tired action movie trope, the film makes fun of a fair few of them as well. And although this movie isn't the best installment in the DCEU, it's delightfully entertaining, funny, fast-paced, action-packed, and everything a DC fan could hope to see.

Final Score: Birds of Prey—8/10 (B+)

If you're a fan of superhero movies, check out this fantabulously badass film.