After “Suicide Squad” earned negative reactions from critics, Margot Robbie signed on to reprise her role as Harley Quinn in several movies including the upcoming James Gunn directed Suicide Squad sequel, “Birds Of Prey” & “Gotham City Sirens.” Today’s review is none other than Birds Of Prey. Set after the events of Suicide Squad, Harley breaks up with Joker, she moves on to operate independently. Suddenly, Harley must protect a girl named, Cassandra Cain tied to a sadistic mob boss named, Roman Sionis A.K.A. Black Mask. Lacking support without Joker, Harley must work with superheroes including Huntress & Black Canary (who is Green Arrow’s girlfriend in the comics) to combat Black Mask and keep the girl safe.
Birds Of Prey is currently out in theaters right now. Unlike Suicide Squad, it received good reviews from critics and movie goers alike and trying to make enough money at the box office. If the movie manages to make enough green and positive reactions, a trilogy involving Harley Quinn could possibly explore further adventures.
The following review does not contain any crucial SPOILERS connected to the plot whatsoever. If you haven’t got a chance to see Birds Of Prey yet, feel free to read my non-spoiler article.
High & Low Elements
High: Margot Robbie did an excellent job for her performance as Harley Quinn. In addition to portraying The Clown Prince Of Crime’s ex, she also served as an executive producer.
Newcomers to the DC Extended Universe such as Mary Elizabeth Winstead, Ewan McGregor & Rosie Perez all did an amazing job for their respective performances.
Cathy Yan did a great job directing the film. She made sure to attach every single scene together.
Christina Hodson (Bumblebee) wrote the screenplay yet she managed to link a cohesive storyline.
Action Sequences are grounded putting emphasis to a realistic approach filled with broken bones, blood gushing all over a location and lacking an overpowered antagonist like Doomsday from “Batman Vs. Superman: Dawn Of Justice.” I hate what they did to Superman’s deadliest foe.
Cinematography never had any technical issues throughout. Thank goodness it didn’t suffer from shaky cam as in “Man Of Steel.”
Humor contains elements of black comedy as well as blue humor matching Kaley Cuoco’s animated Harley Quinn series from the DC Universe streaming service.
If you’re taking your kids to see Birds Of Prey, this ain’t your typical family gathering, it’s a hard R movie next to “Joker,” “Deadpool” & “Logan” refusing to apologize. I advise you to approach with caution.
Like “Deadpool,” Harley often “breaks the fourth wall” telling the audience about the story. Similar to Joaquin Phoenix’s Joker, she’s also an unreliable narrator.
A Post-Credits Scene is optional to view which is played for laughs.
Low: During a fight scene, Harley throws a baseball bat, it bounces like a pogo stick and knocks out a thug. That doesn’t obey the laws of physics in terms of any action scene from “The Fast & The Furious” franchise.
I know this movie is based on the titular team, but it barely has nothing to do with the team other than Harley herself.
If you’re expecting Batgirl to pop up, she’s not actually in it. Warner Bros. & DC Films are trying to look for the right crew and actress capable for the job. I’ll let this con slide, now that both companies learned their lesson not to dump every single character in one movie.
The Final Verdict: B, FOR BRAVERY!
Birds Of Prey is another great DC based related film. Margot Robbie and the rest of the cast and crew all did a fantastic job putting a lot of effort to persuade Warner Bros for a hard R picture. I’m happy to see one of my favorite DC villains leading a motion picture. Joker is scratched off alongside Harley, now it’s time for a Slade Wilson/Deathstroke movie. He’s my favorite DC villain of all time besides the aforementioned two icons.
Bravo DC Films & WB, I can’t wait for “Wonder Woman 1984” to come out in June. I’m crossing my fingers if Robert Pattinson does a good job playing Batman. No sparkling vampires this time around, as long as he doesn’t screw up my favorite superhero of all time. Rob I’m counting on you to make your interaction of The Caped Crusader as a unique take than previous versions of the character, except George Clooney.
Nickthemoviecritic.com 