Rating of
2.5/4
Manic Pixie Nightmare Fuel
Chris Kavan - wrote on 02/14/20
While the DCEU has been on the upswing lately, the stand-alone Harley Quinn/introduction of the Birds of Prey seems more like it's spinning its wheels. Many have compared this to a live-action Looney Toons film - but that only applies if when Tweety hits Sylvester on the head with a mallet, his brains ooze out his ears and his eye pops out of his socket. Birds of Prey is colorful and frantic but it is also brutally violent, certainly earning that R-rating that likely factored into its underwhelming debut.
Margot Robbie once again portrays Harley Quinn - who is not alone after being dumped by The Joker. The Clown Prince of Crime is nowhere to be seen here - mentioned but never finds a place on screen. In fact, none of Gotham's men show up - no Batman, no Arthur, heck, not even Commissioner Gordon. This is girl power cranked up to eleven, mixed with glitter, crossbows, attitude and spunk. Rosie Perez is officer Renee Montoya, a cop with a chip on her shoulder; Jurnee Smollett-Bell is Black Canary, a lounge singer with kick-ass moves and a voice to die for; Mary Elizabeth Winstead is The Huntress, a woman seeking revenge for her family and who definitely doesn't want to be called "The Crossbow Killer"; Ella Jay Basco rounds out the cast as Cassandra Cain, a young, deft pickpocket who finds herself the center of attention after ingesting an integral plot point.
But there are men - Ewan McGregor channels equal parts Elton John and Ted Bundy as the egotistical, misogynistic Roman Sionis (aka Black Mask) - a petty rich boy who is the anti-Batman. His henchman, Victor Zsasz (Chris Messina) is a psycho of extraordinary face-peeling talent, who is most well known for carving a scar for every person he murders. But the boys are just there for show - and to have a foil - the women rule the roost.
While I don't have a problem with women being the center of attention, Birds of Prey doesn't give nearly enough screen time to the supporting characters. I would have especially like a more fleshed-out version of Winstead and Perez. And poor Barbara Gordon (who is supposed to be a founding member of the Birds of Prey) is not even mentioned. As it stands, the movie is equal parts goofy and brutal - but can never quite find the right balance between the two. It all feels so haphazard at times, it's hard to appreciated it when it truly shines... but at least it has a good soundtrack.
Suicide Squad was messy and I feel the same about Birds of Prey. I won't go as far to say it's a step back for the DCEU, but I know they can do better. Maybe if the fabled Gotham City Sirens ever comes to fruition, we'll get a more well-rounded look at these characters.
