Movie Review: Birds of Prey (And the Fantabulous Emanicpation of One Harley Quinn)

DC's redemption arc has been a long time coming. Batman v. Superman: Dawn of Justice, Suicide Squad and Man of Steel represented a brutal start for a superhero universe that was trying to establish a loyal audience in a space monopolized by Marvel. Once they stopped trying to emulate the formula that turned their rivals into the most unstoppable empire in blockbuster entertainment, the tides started to turn. With the notable exception of Justice League, Warner Brothers has spent the past few years focusing on standalone films and the results have been pretty ideal as Wonder Woman, Aquaman and Shazam! all amassed relatively widespread praise.

Is DC ever going to catch Marvel on the popularity front? Probably not, but matching or exceeding the quality of their product is well within reach-especially since they have the luxuries of being able to experiment with content that isn't suitable for a family audience and not being constrained by having to tie all of their titles into a bigger shared narrative.The Harley Quinn-headlined Birds of Prey (And the Fantabulous Emancipation of One Harley Quinn) is a potentially huge moment for the DC brand as it marks the first time they've created something really special that can go toe-to-toe with the best this genre has to offer.

Something I've always found kind of odd about superhero movies is the difficulties they can have in establishing a tone that consistently matches the personality of the main character. The prospect of global annihilation, a romantic subplot or some kind of family melodrama has a habit of getting in the way of letting the heroes defining traits shine through. Birds of Prey doesn't even consider flirting with being one of these films.

Every single thing about Birds of Prey's is embedded with the spirit of Harley Quinn-who is once again played with just the right amount of charismatic madness by Margot Robbie. The busy non-linear plot never comes up for air, the action sequences are vibrant, chaotic bursts of pure adrenaline and it's completely unafraid to embrace its origins as an over-the-top comic book with a legitimate rebellious streak. While its proudly cartoonish vibe will definitely grate on some, its frenzied energy hypnotized me into a state of pure euphoric glee.        

Making Quinn's emancipation from the constraints of a flawed film that didn't always utilize her properly possible was the efforts of director Cathy Yan and screenwriter Christina Hodson. These two wisely used Robbie's pitch perfect portrayal of Quinn as a springboard to build a deranged world that truly revolved around her. Quinn's gift for creating mayhem at every turn attracts the attention of bad guys (Chris Messina, Ewan McGregor-who gives a master class in overacting as primary villain Black Mask) and an eventual team of partners (Ella Jay Basco, Rosie Perez, Jurnee Smollett-Bell, Mary Elizabeth Winstead) that are exactly the kind of fiercely determined, visibly fucking insane people she belongs with. Paring characters that seamlessly complement Quinn with messy situations that routinely end in massive stylized fights breaking out establishes a colorful, anarchic environment that is easy to get sucked into and hard to forget.

Outside of a couple gripes with the specifics of how the Birds of Prey are put on the collision course that brings them together and the underutilization of Winstead-whose hardass crossbow-wielding/motorcycle-ridding assassin Huntress steals almost every scene she's in, Birds of Prey is a hell of a superhero flick that boasts a pretty unique feel that really clicked with me. If James Gunn can bring the same brand of R-rated chaotic fun Yan and Hodson assembled here to next year's The Suicide Squad, this little Harley Quinn-driven corner of the DCU is going to continue to shine.

Grade: A-