‘Birds of Prey’ Review

The DC extended universe (DCEU) got off to a very rocky start, but lately, DC has been on a hot streak. Aquaman was the first DC film to cross a billion dollars, and audiences and critics seemed to really love Shazam. Birds of Prey falls slightly in comparison to these movies, but it is still an entertaining experience.

One of the DC’s misfires was Suicide Squad, which, despite being a financial success, received a lot of negative feedback from critics and audiences alike. However, Suicide Squad did give us Margot Robbie as Harley Quinn, who ended up being a fan favorite. 

Plot

In Birds of Prey: And The Fantabulous Emancipation of Harley Quinn, we follow Harley Quinn as she has supposedly broken up with the Joker. Without his protection, a large number of enemies come after Quinn looking for revenge. To clear her name, she teams up with a crew of female vigilantes in order to save a pick pocketer who, unknowingly, stole an item of great value.

Harley Quinn takes center stage

One issue with Birds of Prey is that this movie suffers from poor marketing to the point where even the title of the movie doesn’t make much sense. Yes, the Birds of Prey are in the movie, but the movie mainly focuses on Harley Quinn. 

The Birds of Prey are scattered throughout the film but don’t actually team up until the third act of the movie. It’s too bad because I liked all of the Birds of Prey. The highlight is Mary Elizabeth Winstead who does a great job with Huntress. I just wish she was in the movie more.

However, even though the movie focuses on Harley Quinn, that’s not a bad thing. Robbie has proven again here that she is almost irreplaceable as Quinn. She really embodies all the chaotic quirkiness that comes with her character. She brings a lot more to the character and makes her really likable even though she is known as a villain.

Ewan McGregor goes insane

In Birds of Prey, the villain is Black Mask, played by Ewan McGregor. He is so over the top in this movie it is often hilarious. He is almost like a spoiled, evil, man child who also happens to cut people’s faces off. Even though he is entertaining, his goofiness does make it hard to take him seriously. I never found him intimidating because he is such a diva in this movie. He is an enjoyable character, but maybe not the best villain.

Great action distracts from a messy plot

The narrative is told in an odd way. The film is narrated by Harley Quinn, which is fine. Her narration can be funny and it does add to the tone of the movie, but it is not the best storytelling feature. 

The movie will often be in the present day and then jump back to see how they got to this point. It feels overused in this movie and is more of a gimmick than an actually good way of telling the story. It makes the movie seem a bit disjointed.

Luckily, this movie is saved by really great action scenes. A lot of them look like they could have been from a John Wick movie. They are directed really well and have great choreography. There is very little shaky-cam so it is very easy to see everything. When the Birds of Prey finally fight together, it delivers in spades. Even though the film is R, there is not that much gore, but it isn’t really needed.

Final verdict

Overall, Birds of Prey is a good addition to the DCEU, even though it does have a decent amount of flaws. The villain could have been better, the title is misleading, and the narrative is disjointed. However, the action is great and Robbie gives another stellar performance as Harley Quinn. While it may not be the best that the DCEU has to offer, it still shows that they are still headed in the right direction.

Final score: 3/5