Birds of Prey (2020) Movie Review
Have I seen any of the movies featuring Harley Quinn? Nope, I sure haven’t. Mainly because I heard Suicide Squad was pure garbage and to be honest I didn’t think I could stomach it. I decided to watch Birds of Prey: And the Fantabulous Emancipation of One Harley Quinn because I had heard it was a massive improvement from the previous DC attempts and because I also love Margot Robbie.
To set the stage for you, Harley (Margot Robbie) has severed ties with the Joker and is gloriously single. This also means it’s open season for the bad guys to wreak havoc on her as she is without the protection of the Joker. But all of that is just the side story. The main story involves everyone going after the illusive Bertinelli Diamond which happens to contain codes leading to their massive fortune. As it turns out the Bertinelli family was murdered for their fortune and Roman (Ewan McGregor) had the diamond in his possession until it was stolen by a kid thief, Cassandra Cain (Ella Jay Basco). Now Roman and a variety of other bad guys are after Cain.
Roman kidnaps Harley and is about to kill her but winds up making a deal with her. If she brings him the diamond, he will spare her life. So Harley busts into the police station where Cain is being held for stealing and breaks her out. The rest of the movie involves Harley trying to get Cain to give up the diamond while simultaneously keeping her safe from other bad guys. The plot actually has a lot more going on than that but that’s the main gist. The best part of the movie isn’t the plot anyways so you aren’t missing out on anything with my lackluster summary.
The best part of the movie is the style. Director Cathy Yan imbues Birds of Prey with unique cotton candy, carnival-esque visuals. When Harley busts into the police station, she doesn’t use bullets she uses colorful smoke and confetti bombs to take out the cops. Several times throughout the movie big, thick text with colorful speech bubbles appear as if you’re reading a comic book. The pace is brutal with Yan whipping you from scene to scene and Harley talking a mile a minute. But somehow all of those techniques work really well and make for a fun watch.
It helps that Harley is joined by some bad ass women. Detective Montoya (Rosie Perez) is an efficient cop who is hindered by the somewhat sexist police environment. The Huntress (Mary Elizabeth Winstead) moves in the shadows and uses a crossbow to kill her victims earning her the nickname “The Crossbow Killer” which she hates. Winstead proves she has both action movie and comedic chops here stealing scenes and making you wish there was a spin off movie about her. And finally Dinah Lance (Jurnee Smollett) who has an interesting story arc working with Roman and protecting Cassandra Cain. These four women combine to pull off a powerful fight scene near the end of the movie.
The action is nonstop and the characters are likeable with strong acting performances. DC finally seems to get Harley Quinn right and you love to see it. Birds of Prey is a wild and hectic ride, but one that you’ll enjoy.
Film or Movie: Movie
You’ll like this movie if:
1. You like the DC universe
2. You are a fan of Harley Quinn
3. You thought Suicide Squad was garbage and want to see Harley redeemed
