After splitting with the Joker, Harley Quinn joins superheroes Black Canary, Huntress, and Renee Montoya to save a young girl from an evil crime lord.
If the heroes of the DC Universe can’t deliver on compelling characters it’s time to turn to the villains, specifically one villain: Harley Quinn. What all the previous movies lacked, “Birds of Prey and the Fantabulous Emancipation of One Harley Quinn” (or “Birds of Prey” for short) delivers in spades. It’s louder than a Queen concert. It’s brighter than a Lisa Frank blackout poster. It’s more violent than Batman or Superman could ever be. It’s more… Everything! “Birds of Prey” is a violent fever dream of an anti-hero who finds camaraderie in her quest to strike out on her own.
Legend has it Margot Robbie herself pitched the story for “Birds of Prey” following mounting excitement for her portrayal of the character in 2016’s abysmal “Suicide Squad.” People loved her so much they wanted more. Now she’s back, fresh off her breakup with Joker processing the emotions by eating too much ice cream, blowing up chemical plants, and feeding her pet hyena. She’s zany, she’s kooky, but not once is she off her rocker. In fact, her intelligence shines through in moments of raw emotional honesty. Throw in the origin stories of Renee Montoya, Helena Bertinelli, and Dinah Lance to this mix and you’ve got something remarkable.
I cannot stress enough how fun this movie is to watch. Everyone onscreen looks like they’re having the time of their life. Ewan McGregor chews through scenery with an unabashed flamboyancy that makes his villain way more interesting than any Darkseid or Lex Luthor. Jurnee Smollett-Bell plays the straight man in the movie with aplomb. Rosie Perez eats up her screentime ferociously, barking at whoever crosses her path. Mary Elizabeth Winstead straddles the line between aggressive and serious gracefully. Separately they’re interesting. Together they’re endlessly watchable. Round out the cast with Ella Jay Basco, jumping up to the big screen after small roles on tv, who earns the affection of everyone.
“Birds of Prey” boasts “loud” and “bright” as it’s two biggest attributes. Between neon-dripped bursts of color in the nightclub to denim blues of the police headquarters, everything carries a certain panache to it. The needle drops are dialed up to eleven in the mix, laughably poking at the movie or adding to the tone.
The set pieces of this film really top the whole cake off. The final battle takes place among the wreckage of ‘The Booby Trap’; a dilapidated funhouse. The heroines crush skulls sliding down a slide, twirling on a giant merry-go-round, and bouncing on a trampoline. Leave it to Harley Quinn to bash in goons’ skulls with a mallet while jumping on a trampoline. Not one set piece is ever wasted as the fighting integrates these bits into slapstick humor with a dash of beatdown.
Harley flips, kicks, slides, and tackles with the grace and agility of a ballerina or gymnast. The camera twirls alongside her often slowing down time to emphasize her grace. I don’t think I’ll ever forget the fight scene in the jail cells. Whether it’s gunplay, baseball bat-smashing, or just straight up grenade-tossing this movie makes light of the uber-violence with over-the-top sound effects. You can hear every leg shatter, neck snap, and body flail. It’s brutal and contrasts with the cartoonish tone of the whole movie creating a whiplash powerful enough to generate laughter from me.
“Birds of Prey” is a gonzo, phantasmagorical fever dream. That makes it bonkers, sure, but successful in an impressive way. It succeeds on all levels by daring to dream big and delivering on interesting set pieces/action sequences. Harley’s journey to get over her ex captured my attention and never let go. I’ve already seen it once, but I need to go back and see it again with friends this time. Go catch this one in theaters if you’re game! You’ll be jolted out of your seat by the end.
In Theaters Friday, February 7th
