A Warner Bros Picture, Written by Christina Hodson, Directed by Cathy Yan.
All the talking is over and Birds of Prey is finally here, and the result is something not even me, who was really looking forward to the film, could’ve anticipated. This is truly one of the best and most unique comic book films of all time.
This is not your usual comic book film, this is a genre film with comic book characters. It is a expletive filled, non-linear, gory, female led crime caper with a twist, being told through the eyes of our narrator, Harley Quinn.
Cathy Yan, who directs here with superb energy and a really specific style, invokes the style of early Tarantino and of European art-house cinema to provide a neon soaked world for our characters to inhabit which allows the film to stand out from anything that has come before it.
The Gotham City that Harley and co inhabit is very different to the one that we are used to Batman squaring off in, and that works for the best, as here with have a gritty and yet vibrant place for the eclectic crew to live in.
It isn’t the perfect movie, with the story itself being quite standard, but the way it is told really makes up for that and the dialogue is sharp and often hilarious, so a lot of credit should also go to screenwriter Christina Hodson, a quickly rising star who is also due to write both The Flash and Batgirl for Warner Bros.
There has been some talk about how this film isn’t ‘sexy’ enough, and while that isn’t remotely the point of the film and doesn’t need to be a factor, there is absolutely no denying that watching Robbie, Smollett-Bell, Perez, and Winstead kick ass like they do is sexy, and if you can’t see that, you’re simply coming to the film for the wrong reasons.
The soundtrack is brilliantly put together and strikes the right tone with the film, and is utilised brilliantly throughout, adding real impetus and energy to certain moments in the film, especially the action and fight scenes, which are all choreographed and performed remarkably well.
Margot Robbie has been trying to get this film made as a producer for years, and she should be incredibly proud of the end result. From an acting stand point, she is undoubtedly the lead here and delivers what I truly believe to be one of the best acting performances I have seen in a comic book film. She provides real depth to Harley’s darker moments, thrives on the comedic aspects of the characters, and brings an infectious energy to the whole film, and I can’t wait to see her play this character for years to come.
Jurnee Smollett-Bell and Rosie Perez both have key roles here and bring their best to the characters, and provide some of the other stand out moments of the film. There is a lot more that can be explored with each character, but they have definitely got the right people to play them for the foreseeable future. Mary Elizabeth Winstead makes for a surprisingly funny and absolutely bad ass Huntress, but she only really features in the second half of the movie and has the least to do. The scene at the end of the film promises that this trio are going to have plenty more adventures going forward, and I can’t wait to see it.
Ewan McGregor is an absolute triumph as Black Mask, he is charismatic, menacing, and hilarious, often all at the same time. He is another key reason this film works and while he’ll certainly be different, I really hope we get to see more of him in future films because he is already one of my favourite villains.
Ella Jay Basco does a solid job as ‘Cass’ although this isn’t the Cassandra Cain many fans are used to. Chris Messina also leaves a lasting impact as notorious villain Victor Zsaz.
I knew I was going to enjoy this film as soon as the animated opening sequence came on, and I had such a great time all the way through to the end. I really hope this is a box office hit as well as critical success so that we can explore much more of this world and hopefully get to see Robbie’s Harley finally interact with Poison Ivy (Harley is confirmed as bisexual in a blink and you’ll miss it moment) and a potential Gotham City Sirens film directed by Cathy Yan would be right at the top of my list if I was a Warner Bros executive.
This movie is incredibly fun and I just can’t get enough of “Harley F***ing Quinn”!
Rating = 4.5/5
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