Movie Review: Birds of Prey (and the Fantabulous Emancipation of One Harley Quinn)

It's been a testy road to travel for DC Films as far as fan reception and responses to certain film installments have been concerned. Earlier entries in the "DC Extended Universe" like "Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice" and "Suicide Squad" saw plenty of takes in the box office, but also a lot of mixed opinions with the critics and fan reviews.

Fortunately the tides have shifted with the releases of "Wonder Woman", "Aquaman", and "Shazam", and the superhero franchise has found its footing - telling better stories and blending in the drama, comedy, and character chemistry to positive and wonderful audience reception. That awesome streak I'm proud to say continues with the newly released "Birds of Prey (and the Fantabulous Emancipation of One Harley Quinn)" - which technically is "Harley Quinn: The Movie" but instead serves as an extra springboard for the popular DC villainess/ anti-hero to introduce some new gal pals and personalities that all reside in the dank and strange place that is Gotham City.

Once again reprising her role from "Suicide Squad", Margot Robbie returns as the newly emancipated Harley Quinn - fresh from breaking up with The Joker and determined to start fresh and in control of her own life (or whatever counts for an insane Psychiatrist). The beautiful Hollywood star also serves as producer for the film, which is fantastic as it gives the Australian actress all the levity and creativity to take Harley in a bold and trippy direction which is fully realized in this film.

Thanks to Warner Bros. Philippines, I got to see "Birds of Prey" last weekend at its special premiere screening in IMAX - and again I call this movie "Bizarre, Trippy, and AWESOME FUN". It's Harley unleashed and bringing some girl power to the big screen, as we meet new heroes and villains outside of the shadow of the bat and the clown prince of crime - and it succeeds in spades! Here's my review after the jump!





BIRDS OF PREY – Official Trailer 2
Directed by Cathy Yan, "Birds of Prey" sees Harley Quinn (Margot Robbie) finally calling it quits with The Joker, after her "puddin'" kicks her out and leaves her a devastated mess. Determined to find emancipation and break away from her former beau, Harley ends up doing roller blading, hanging in clubs, and getting into trouble... Lots of it. Her luck changes for the better (or for the worse actually) when she gets mixed with Roman Sionis (Ewan McGregor), a sadistic nightclub owner and criminal who goes by the name "Black Mask". Forced into a job to find a young girl named Cassandra Cain (Ella Jay Basco) who has stolen an item worth billions, Harley comes into contact with the likes of singer Dinah Lance/ Black Canary (Jurnee Smollett-Bell), Helena Bertinelli/ Huntress (Mary Elizabeth Winstead), and rogue GCPD cop Renee Montoya (Rosie Perez) - all who have a bone to pick with her and/ or Sionis. Suddenly the insane psychiatrist turned criminal anti-hero's world just got a lot more interesting.

Truly, the fun times are to be had with a dose of insanity in "Birds of Prey" - as Margot Robbie gets all the time and attention to play as Harley and literally own the character anew. She was undeniably the best thing in "Suicide Squad" - and we get to see more of her cracking witty lines and kicking ass as she's joined by a fantabulous cast! Young Filipino/ Korean American actress Ella Jay Basco makes her feature film debut as Cassandra Cain - a young thief who mixes it in with Harley and the birds. While she may share the same name as her comic book counterpart who also goes by "Batgirl" and "Orphan", her characterization is totally different here and she serves as a representation of the "new direction" Harley is going for to help others (aside from adopting a Hyena she names "Bruce" after you-know-who).

Mary Elizabeth Winstead also makes her DC Films debut as the moody and serious Helena/ Huntress - a fan-favorite to DC Comics readers and a role she completely can call her own. There are plenty of action scenes with her crossbow and motorcycle to showcase her vigilante persona well, but also some clever and hilarious ways to show the "broody" side too. Jurnee Smollett-Bell just kicks ass as Dinah/ Black Canary, and her singing skills do come into play here as well as making sure this other fan favorite DC character is well represented in the DCEU. Rosie Perez plays the "tough lady cop from the 80's" as Renee Montoya, but like Cassie she shouldn't be compared to her comic book counterpart. All these ladies are tough and handle themselves pretty well alongside Harley - which is how the Birds of Prey came to be.

Rounding up the villains of course is Chris Messina as Victor Zsasz, who serves as the right hand man to Ewan McGregor's Roman Sionis. He's not as sadistic as his comic book counterpart, but that trait is reserved for his boss instead. McGregor totally steals the show in the bad guy side as Black Mask, and he's arguably the most fun villain I have seen in the DC Extended Universe to date. Savor his performance and the way he was executed in this film - it's literally dynamic and fun.


Overall, what more is to be said about this film? Nothing but WATCH IT IF YOU LOVE HARLEY QUINN AND DC. Birds of Prey delivers the bombastic fun and insanity needed to propel the DC Films franchise even further into success, as we gleefully get Margot Robbie back as Harley and she isn't shy to share the stage with some new blood. The film is R-Rated, so there's plenty of cussing and violence... But we wouldn't have it any other way at all. Go see this if you love comic books and all... It's worth every penny indeed.

Birds of Prey (and the Fantabulous Emancipation of One Harley Quinn) is NOW SHOWING in theaters c/o Warner Bros. Philippines!

Rating - 5/5