Review - Birds of Prey (2020)

Directed by: Cathy Yan
Written by: Christina Hodson
Starring: Margot Robbie, Rosie Perez, Ewan McGregor
IMDb Link

The trajectory of the DCEU has been fascinating to watch. After the significant failure (both critically and financially, at least relative to their competition) of the Snyder films, pieces so grimdark that they were ashamed of their comic book origins, it's neat to see the ways in which Warner Bros. has pushed so hard in every other direction to find a new identity, from the epic scale of Aquaman to a more grounded and human approach with Shazam! (that actually told a story that got to the heart of what it means to be a hero), to the truly insane and cartoonish style of Birds of Prey (and the Fantabulous Emancipation of One Harley Quinn) that finally embraces the comic book background of its story.

In an effort to get over her break-up with the Joker, Harley Quinn (Robbie) blows up the old Ace Chemicals plant where both of their villain origin stories began. Such a public declaration draws the attention of Roman Sionis (McGregor, playing things as delightfully and excessively camp as possible) - also known as Black Mask, who wants her dead, and now no longer fears facing the wrath of the Joker. In order to get out from under his threat, Quinn becomes involved in the hunt for a diamond stolen by Cassandra Cain (Ella Jay Basco, in her first film role), a young pickpocket who takes a shine to Quinn. The titular Birds of Prey are introduced over the course of the film: Renee Montoya (Perez, played with a slightly obnoxious knowing wink), a hard-boiled detective building a case against Sionis; Dinah Lance (Jurnee Smollet-Bell, who does well with what she's given), also known as Black Canary, a singer/driver for Sionis who cares for Cain; and Helena Bartinelli (Mary Elizabeth Winstead, the best of the bunch after Robbie), also known as Huntress, a mal-adjusted assassin with a Vendetta against some of Sionis' people.

It's a bit of a jumble to assemble the ensemble, as none of the girls have enough screentime to really flesh themselves out, but the constant background noise of Robbie's high-energy performance combined with the slick and colourful action setpieces that become increasingly cartoonish as the movie goes on are amusing enough to keep things from getting stale, even as my mind occasionally slipped thoughts of comparison to the current Harley Quinn animated series (which handles Quinn's growth as a character way more effectively but doesn't have quite the same speed and style in its fight scenes). The action really is the highlight in this movie, toeing a fine line between silly and cool; bone-crunching, body bursting fights that are covered in glitter, and as it escalates to the inevitable conclusion that has all the girls fighting together, flitting between literal slapstick, little moments of camaraderie ("do you need a hair tie?"), and some good, old-fashioned R-rated violence, the film is enough of what it wants to be in order to work, despite a few of the awkward steps it takes to get there.

The Short Version: Birds of Prey is a lot like Harley herself: an energetic mess that's easy to like.

Rating: 6.5/10