Have you heard of a little film called “Birds of Prey (and the Fantabulous Emancipation of One Harley Quinn)”? Is the length of that title too long? No. Not at all.
Originally released on Feb. 7, 2020, “Birds of Prey…” is a DC superhero film based on the fictional team titled “The Birds of Prey.” The film stars Margot Robbie as the aforementioned Harley Quinn, a character ripe for a big break-up from Gotham City’s leading psychopath.
What I enjoy about this film lies with its style, flair and performances. Cathy Yan’s (“Dead Pigs”) direction is clear despite her short filmography. Every action scene feels like it was given a lot of thought and effort. The choreography is fine-tuned.
The tone of this film is also a strong point and reminiscent of “Deadpool,” which was concerning for the first few minutes of the film.
The performances in this film are the reason to re-watch this movie though. Sure, Robbie is great here as Harley Quinn, and she’s really made the character her own due to the unpredictable energy she infuses the character with. This was evident in 2016’s “Suicide Squad.”
The performances of Jurnee Smollett-Bell (Dinah Lance/Black Canary), Rosie Perez (Renee Montoya), Mary Elizabeth Winstead (Helena Bertinelli/The Huntress) and newcomer Ella Jay Basco (Cassandra Cain) really carry the film though.
Winstead in particular as Helena Bertinelli/The Huntress is quite the standout as she plays the role with strength and poise. I would’ve liked to see the film written from her perspective a little more compared to Harley’s, which is where my problem with the film is.
This movie is very much centered around Harley Quinn and her re-angling of her life; I don’t have a problem with this inherently, it’s in the title. I wonder though if the film should’ve been outside her own thoughts and instead focused on an already established “Birds of Prey” team of Bertinelli, Dinah Lance and Renee Montoya. Winstead is awesome as Huntress and she’s barely on-screen compared to Quinn.
There’s also some nagging narration present in this film that is sort of placed in weird spots. It’s fourth-wall-breaking, which I enjoy but it also took me out of the action a few times in an annoying way.
With those complaints in mind, I still found myself enjoying this movie. Robbie’s too good, the fights are too stylized, the cast is having too much fun for me not to have fun while watching.
I have to say though, CGI hyenas are a thing I don’t need from Hollywood.
