by A.J.
Birds of Prey: And the Fantabulous Emancipation of One Harley Quinn
This was not a film I planned to see, at first. Then, after positive reviews from critics I trust and with the imminent closure of movie theaters in March 2020 due to the COVID-19 Pandemic, my wife and I decided that the last film we would see in a theater, for now, would be Birds of Prey: And the Fantabulous Emancipation of One Harley Quinn. It was a very satisfying decision.
Birds of Prey is a sequel of sorts to the completely joyless 2016 film Suicide Squad, a Dirty Dozen knockoff but with comic book villains. Thankfully, this spinoff stands on its own so you do not need to have seen Suicide Squad to understand the characters or plot of Birds of Prey. The only good thing about Suicide Squad was the casting of Margot Robbie as Harley Quinn, the partner in crime and love of Batman's nemesis, the Joker, which leads us to the best thing about Birds of Prey. Margot Robbie has the all-enveloping, enchanting screen presence of a genuine movie star and the genuine talent and skill as an actress to carry a movie. She exudes a great lively energy as Harley Quinn that matches perfectly the fun, flamboyant, and darkly comedic tone set by director Cathy Yan.
The plot of Birds of Prey is refreshingly straightforward for a comic book movie that expands an established character and introduces new ones. As the Joker’s girlfriend, Harley Quinn enjoyed total immunity in the Gotham City underworld no matter who she crossed or how big or small or darkly comical her offenses. When she makes her break up with the Joker public, all of those she pissed off in one way or another come after her. When not fleeing those out for revenge, Harley is pursuing a young pickpocket, Cassandra Cain (Ella Jay Basco), who stole a diamond etched with hidden bank codes. Along the way Harley crosses paths with Mary Elizabeth Winstead as Huntress, though everyone calls her the Crossbow Killer, much to her annoyance, and Rosie Perez as Detective Montoya, the only Gotham cop actually interested in catching criminals. Jurnee Smollett as Black Canary, whose voice can used as a weapon—the most left field fantastical element in Birds of Prey, whether it is in the comics or not—rounds out the “Birds”. They are all in danger (Harley especially) of having their faces cut off by Ewan McGregor as the sadistic crime boss Black Mask. After Robbie, McGregor is the other stand out of the cast. He is in over the top mode and it completely works for his character and the movie. He plays it big and gets ridiculous at times, all the while maintaining the dangerous, violent nature of the Gotham villain. McGregor brings his charm to the character without making him a likeable villain.
Harley Quinn is a punk rock character and her movie has an energetic punk vibe. There are more than a few scenes of violence and though this story takes place in the visually dark and dour world of D.C. comic book movies, this is not a dour or grim movie. Birds of Prey achieves something that no other D.C movie has done (not even Wonder Woman): it’s fun, lots of fun from start to finish. Harley Quinn injects the right amount of color and life into the D.C. universe. Thankfully, the screenplay by Christina Hodson is not bogged down with tying this film into other superhero (or supervillain) films or leaving loose ends for the sake of sequels and spinoffs. There are good action scenes and best of all this movie wants its characters to have complete journeys. The big showdown is of the kind that we’ve seen before; each character gets to use their specialty and it leads to a smaller final showdown that is incredibly satisfying. With all of its criminal underworld characters, subversive tone (since D.C. movies are so dark and cynical, being fun is subversive), and showy visuals Birds of Prey feels like a comic book Film Noir.
