Movie Review | Birds of Prey

02.07.2020 – The start of blockbuster films shows that things are about to start to heat up that DC Films latest entry Birds of Prey (and the Fantabulous Emancipation of One Harley Quinn) is something of a wildcard knowing that the original team based in the comicbooks is different from this roster in the big screen. Harley Quinn is front and center of this story, which arguably sort of an excuse for a solo film within the context that this is supposed to be movie consist of a team of heroes where the later lead character is not even an anti-hero. But with the concept of live-action films as part of the DCEU or DC Extended Universe you can give credit that Margot Robbie’s scene stealing portrayal of Harley Quinn in Suicide Squad is one of the bright spots of that the actioner. At the same time this gives you a different perspective and iteration of what is “Birds of Prey” in the big screen through the eyes and story of one Harley Quinn dealing with the events that transpired after Suicide Squad and what she has to do moving forward now that the former sidekick of the Joker is on her own now that is something to invite viewers with curiosity as the same time a closer look on the character.

WARNING: SPOILERS AHEAD! If you haven’t seen Birds of Prey you know the drill, but then again you’ll just ignore it anyway so carry on…

There have been many portrayals of Harley Quinn explored first in Batman: The Animated Series and her immediate popularity making her appearance in the DC Universe then with this interpretation as portrayed by Margot Robbie who also add producer under her name besides the lead for this film.

Since this is a team that features the Birds of Prey you get a different look at Renee Montoya, Dinah Laurel Lance, and Helene Bertinelli as portrayed by Rosie Perez, Jurnee Smollett-Bell, and Mary Elisabeth Winstead comprising DC Films’ version of the characters appearing in the comicbooks. This also features Ella Jay Basco as Cassandra Cain and Ewan McGregor as Black Mask rounding up the cast.

Batgirl-less Birds of Prey

For the impressive fight sequence and killer soundtrack this film doesn’t feature Barbara Gordon who founded the Birds of Prey in the comicbooks as Oracle and more popularly known as Batgirl. But the tongue and cheek idea of not including this character and putting Harley Quinn as the lead character is something not done in the comicbooks, but also sort of unintentional fan joke.

Harley is the lead a girl usually armed with her signature bat than the mallet in Suicide Squad gives a fresh take on the character’s portrayal of Robbie narrating the narrative through her perspective is a new type or storytelling in the DCEU canon despite being a ‘parallel’ story that exist in this universe.

Through the Eyes of Harley

Despite the different portrayal of Cassandra Cain by Ella Jay Basco it gives you an idea why the lack of depth for the character not being mute at the same time its narrative means that this film exist through the eyes of Harley Quinn. How all the characters portrayed in this universe is through how the audience sees it in Herley’s story who narrates the film from the start.

Besides the killer action sequence Black Mask despite being more brutal in the comicbooks gives you Ewan McGregor’s take that being nice in the outside gives distraction to the true nature of what the character is even though most fans rumors that this version of Black Mask is gay due to the close relationship it has with Victor Zsasz as portrayed by Chris Messina.

Overall Birds of Prey can be taken seriously even though the lack of depth because this might not be what everyone is seeing in the DCEU reality, but only from Harley Quinn’s perspective. This version you see here is as colourful and bubbly, but in reality it might be darker than the Rate-R rating that it received after the Joker film. It is quite a ride from start to finish that makes it more interesting in exploring what the audience see might be just a pipe dream reality than what fans usually see in the previous films that gives a fresh take how the DC Films are taking shape.

Birds of Prey (and the Fantabulous Emancipation of One Harley Quinn) is now playing in cinemas across Southeast Asia including the Philippines beginning 6 February 2020 with the rest of the world HERE from Warner Bros Pictures, and distributed by Village Roadshow in Australia. Catch it at Palace Nova Cinema at Eastend or Prospect.

RATED: A-