Movie Review: "Birds of Prey" (2020)

After the well-intentioned misfire that was 2016’s Suicide Squad, my biggest disappointment was that we just didn’t get enough of Margot Robbie (Wolf of Wall Street) as Harley Quinn. Sure, she had some memorable moments but was too often pushed to the background by the worst Joker ever (sorry, Jared Leto…it’s true). Naturally, I was pretty tickled to find out that the good folks at DC were giving her a (more or less) standalone vehicle to tell her story and saturate our eyeballs with the most alluring version of crazy to ever grace a screen.

To say the very least, she doesn’t disappoint in Birds of Prey.

Birds of Prey finds Harley lost and bereft. She’s been dumped by the Joker…a.k.a. Mr. J…a.k.a. Puddin’. Always firmly on the unstable side, Harley is completely off the rails without her love. She’s kept it a secret for a while until, in a near-blackout drunk state, she destroys the ACE Chemical Plant where their love was born with a runaway fuel tanker. Soon the whole city is on notice: Harley Quinn is no longer protected by the Joker. She’s made a lot of enemies, and they are now all literally gunning for her at once. At the top of the list is Roman Sionis a.k.a. Black Mask (Ewan McGregor; Doctor Sleep). He’s the current “Godfather” of Gotham City and easily matches Harley’s instability and temperament. He’s accompanied by his right-hand psychopath, Victor Zsasz (Chris Messina; Devil) and his driver/nightclub singer, Dinah Lance a.k.a. Black Canary (the scene-stealing Jurnee Smollett-Bell; True Blood). Also on Harley’s tail are hardened detective Renee Montoya (Rosie Perez; White Men Can’t Jump) and vigilante assassin Helena Bertinelli a.k.a. The Huntress (Mary Elizabeth Winstead; 10 Cloverfield Lane). When all these paths collide in the pursuit of a stolen diamond in the possession of young street thief Cassandra Cain (Ella Jay Basco; Grey’s Anatomy), the women will realize they have a bigger cause to fight for- their own emancipation and freedom from the men who’ve done them wrong and will continue to do so.

I suppose it’s almost clichéd at this point, but it still has to be said: Birds of Prey is a shitload of fun. It’s profane, sexy, irreverent, unapologetic, and visually energizing. Is it the “perfect comic book movie”? No. There’s a drag and some narrative cloudiness as it meanders through the middle third of the film and establishes the stories of the other Birds, but the front and back ends are batshit crazy. I wouldn’t have complained about a little more development of Rosie Perez’s detective, too.

Margot Robbie is clearly and deservedly the main star, but every member of the cast has at least a couple of moments that get you grinning. Ewan McGregor is the perfect match for Margot Robbie’s energy. Jurnee Smollet-Bell chews up her scenes in hypnotic fashion and has perhaps the most character depth; her nuance is admirable.

The Gotham City they inhabit should be the template from here on. It’s layered in smoke and nastiness. That, in and of itself, is nothing new to Gotham. However, there’s a texture to the locales and set design that feels new. It’s a great compliment to the day-glo insanity of Harley’s world. Birds of Prey also hearkens back to the original Batman television show with plenty of flashy on-screen graphics to accentuate the violence and the story. Sure, they may be force-feeding you the exposition a little, but it looks so fucking good that you won’t mind. It fits the aesthetic perfectly.

There’s a lot to take in here and enjoy as DC scores another solid film in their mission to try and even up the score, so to speak, with the boys over at Marvel. I’ve always loved the darker and edgier side that DC offers, and Birds of Prey is a memorable addition to that lineup. I grew up on the 1990’s Batman and Ninja Turtles, and they’re fun…but it’s nice to see that in 2020 comic films have the ability to be violent and drop a lot of “f-bombs” and dirty jokes that truly fit the narrative and aren’t just there for shock value.

Now, if you’ll excuse me I have to go make a motherfucking egg sandwich. I’ve got a bitch of a hangover. Also, if I leave my hyena alone too long he’s really going to trash the apartment (or worse).