BIRDS OF PREY: AND THE FANTABULOUS EMANCIPATION OF ONE HARLEY QUINN (2020)
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Director: Cathy Yan
Stars: Margot Robbie, Mary Elizabeth Winstead, Jurnee Smollett-Bell, Rosie Perez, Chris Messina, Ella Jay Basco, Ali Wong, Ewan McGregor Rating: 8 out of 10 Contrived. A massive let down. Brings shame to the comic book characters. These are all feelings I had when I had watched SUICIDE SQUAD back in 2016. Whilst I wasn't alone in thinking this, SUICIDE SQUAD was a certified hit at the box office. This threw the movie into the gaping jaws of mainstream opinion and scrutiny. And whilst I found I agreed (or didn't care) with many views on the film, there did seem to be one judgement that everyone else had, except me. Harley Quinn being the best thing about SUICIDE SQUAD.
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Now don't get me wrong, she is, but she's the best of a bad bunch. The most handsome person in the burnt face ward. And it was nothing to do with what Margot's Harley did, but what the film did to Margot's Harley. It oversexualized her, cut tonnes of scenes of substantial character development with her and Joker, and turned her into a 'Hot Topic' caricature of her former self
Yeah, because this added to the story and character arc of Harley Quinn.
Well, may the comic overlords bless Cathy Yan and Margot Robbie for delivering on the promise embedded in the title of this film. This emancipation is 'fantabulous', as well as fun and chaotic, and it literally KICKS ASS!
Let's deal with the elephant in the room, the trailers and build up to this film made it look like trash. The only reason I can possibly think as to how this film was made to look as bad as I had perceived it to be, is that the style of the film, and the far from linear story telling, was just too hard to convey in a trailer. The simple fact is that this is one of the most exciting DC films to come out of the DCEU, and easily the DCEU film that has took the most risks. I think it does a very rare and extraordinary job of making me feel like I'm IN a comic book, and also completely saves the character of Harley Quinn from 'slutty looking, human doorstep' to 'strong, independent force to be reckoned with'. In fact This should have been called 'HARLEY QUINN: BIRDS OF PREY'*.
Margot's narration and adorably bad storytelling was nothing short of entertaining throughout the film. This could have gone wrong and become as annoying as when a child first learns the word 'why?' but Margot's spiritual channelling of Harley Quinn makes for a brilliant tone in humour and an interesting way of telling this tale. I felt for this character in a way I haven't felt since watching her Bruce Timm animated origins. Maybe because I've been watching the new cartoon (more on that in the future) or maybe because of reading some comics like 'OLD LADY HARLEY' recently, I couldn't help but feel like Harley's break-up with the Joker was genuinely saddening. Yeah, at first you're laughing at how overdramatic she's taking it, but when the silliness stops, and the partying is over, I really felt for Harley. Margot Robbie just GETS this character, what her heart wants, what her head wants etc. and to be a passenger in this clown car, to see where Margot/Harley went, and to have watched her search for her place in Gotham, was a joy that I was fully behind from start to finish.
Let's deal with the elephant in the room, the trailers and build up to this film made it look like trash. The only reason I can possibly think as to how this film was made to look as bad as I had perceived it to be, is that the style of the film, and the far from linear story telling, was just too hard to convey in a trailer. The simple fact is that this is one of the most exciting DC films to come out of the DCEU, and easily the DCEU film that has took the most risks. I think it does a very rare and extraordinary job of making me feel like I'm IN a comic book, and also completely saves the character of Harley Quinn from 'slutty looking, human doorstep' to 'strong, independent force to be reckoned with'. In fact This should have been called 'HARLEY QUINN: BIRDS OF PREY'*.
Margot's narration and adorably bad storytelling was nothing short of entertaining throughout the film. This could have gone wrong and become as annoying as when a child first learns the word 'why?' but Margot's spiritual channelling of Harley Quinn makes for a brilliant tone in humour and an interesting way of telling this tale. I felt for this character in a way I haven't felt since watching her Bruce Timm animated origins. Maybe because I've been watching the new cartoon (more on that in the future) or maybe because of reading some comics like 'OLD LADY HARLEY' recently, I couldn't help but feel like Harley's break-up with the Joker was genuinely saddening. Yeah, at first you're laughing at how overdramatic she's taking it, but when the silliness stops, and the partying is over, I really felt for Harley. Margot Robbie just GETS this character, what her heart wants, what her head wants etc. and to be a passenger in this clown car, to see where Margot/Harley went, and to have watched her search for her place in Gotham, was a joy that I was fully behind from start to finish.
Another amazingly entertaining part of the clown princess's film is the fight scenes. We see legs and arms broken in fantastic ways. Glitter shotgun shots, cocaine fuelled baseball bat strikes, and roller skating car chases are all as absurd and as brilliant as they sound. The sets they fight on could be right out of a cartoon sometimes, it was crazy. There's a particular scene involving the taking of a Police Station that I think is up there with one of my favourite fight scenes. I enjoyed and looked forward to watching these four women lay waste to all who tried to bring harm on them. Let's talk about the other characters actually...
Some big gambles were taken here. Comic book geeks like their source material and get testy when we have what we know changed and altered, and none more so than here. Cassandra Cain has gone from a human weapon to a basic pickpocket. Black Canary isn't a blonde buxom bombshell, and The Huntress is an awkward goth. Some comic book fans may turn up their nose at this and tweet things with hashtags like #NotMyHuntress or 'Cassandra Cain has been disrespected' but I couldn't care less. I was so entertained by the whole gang that it just didn't matter. Why? Because all of these girls gel into a team MILES more believeable and likeable than the SUICIDE SQUAD from a subtle common thread. They have all had some evil men in their life. It's never directly said, it's not even the reason they band together, but it's definitely a factor that plays out well on screen, and that's just damn good writing too.
Victor Szaz and Black Mask are great antagonists in the story, entertaining yet scary to watch. Black Mask is this emotional, unpredictable yo-yo that Ewan McGregor clearly enjoyed playing, a silly yet horrific character to add to the two tone feel of the film. Szaz was played, interestingly, to be an obsessive follower to Black Mask, kind of mirroring how Harley blindy followed Mr J. Are they the best villains ever portrayed onscreen? No, but what Harley and her gang have to overcome is more than just these two fellas anyway, and for me, the hurdles of this journey, that these women have to overcome throughout the film, are the 'Wicked Witch of the West' in the film, not 'The Yellow Brick Road' upon which they walk.
Some big gambles were taken here. Comic book geeks like their source material and get testy when we have what we know changed and altered, and none more so than here. Cassandra Cain has gone from a human weapon to a basic pickpocket. Black Canary isn't a blonde buxom bombshell, and The Huntress is an awkward goth. Some comic book fans may turn up their nose at this and tweet things with hashtags like #NotMyHuntress or 'Cassandra Cain has been disrespected' but I couldn't care less. I was so entertained by the whole gang that it just didn't matter. Why? Because all of these girls gel into a team MILES more believeable and likeable than the SUICIDE SQUAD from a subtle common thread. They have all had some evil men in their life. It's never directly said, it's not even the reason they band together, but it's definitely a factor that plays out well on screen, and that's just damn good writing too.
Victor Szaz and Black Mask are great antagonists in the story, entertaining yet scary to watch. Black Mask is this emotional, unpredictable yo-yo that Ewan McGregor clearly enjoyed playing, a silly yet horrific character to add to the two tone feel of the film. Szaz was played, interestingly, to be an obsessive follower to Black Mask, kind of mirroring how Harley blindy followed Mr J. Are they the best villains ever portrayed onscreen? No, but what Harley and her gang have to overcome is more than just these two fellas anyway, and for me, the hurdles of this journey, that these women have to overcome throughout the film, are the 'Wicked Witch of the West' in the film, not 'The Yellow Brick Road' upon which they walk.
The soundtrack to this film is brilliantly scored. The choices Cathy Yan has made, AGAIN, really show up the ineptitude of SUICIDE SQUAD. The songs don't just feel they've been chosen because they sell that 'Guardians of the Galaxy' dollar, but that scenes were written and shot with these songs in mind. It's given songs, that I wouldn't listen to in a million years, a whole new lease of life. Something I haven't experienced since '...INTO THE SPIDERVERSE', and that got me to listen to a Post Malone album (I still only like that one song).
The greatest thing I can say about this film is that, for a film about finding your identity and your place in the world, it most definitely has an identity all of its own. Each camera angle, animation, song, line, etc. All of these things are distinctly this film and only this film. It was really refreshing to see a film taking risks and doing original ideas, and landing these ideas in such an entertaining way, that we don't need to sexualise any character. We don't need a positive male role. We don't need a cameo from Batman or Joker.
Harley gets a lot of comparisons to Deadpool in the comic books, and I think it is fair to compare this film to being like Deadpool. Dark R-Rated humour, with silly, sharp wit. However, this excels past Deadpool because it doesn't lean on current pop culture references. It has a humour and talent all of its own that makes it timeless. I could see myself watching this again in 10 years and still laughing at all the jokes, but I definitely won't wait that long.
In short, I have got MAD LOVE for this film. And I'm sad because as I write this, reports are coming in that no one is going the cinema to see it. Some people are blaming the storm that has engulfed the UK, or the global bound Coronavirus seemingly threatening our ability to overcome any agoraphobic feelings we may have, but I feel it's simply because people have written off this movie already.
Life mimics art, as Harley without Joker is dismissed by crooks in the film, Harley without Joker is dismissed by moviegoers. All these DC fanboys who will pay money out of their own wallet to fly a fucking #ReleaseTheSnyderCut banner over SDCC won't show even an ounce of passion for a fellow DC legend. So please, I emplore you to go fill those seats in the cinema, then go and tell your mates how great the film was. Because word on the street is that Birds of Prey isn't worth watching, and the girls need their good name emancipated. NOW!
*It has now been renamed that by Warner Bros to make the film easier to recognise and boost ticket sales on cinema sites.
Tweet at us @talknerdyuk
Or Email us [email protected]
The greatest thing I can say about this film is that, for a film about finding your identity and your place in the world, it most definitely has an identity all of its own. Each camera angle, animation, song, line, etc. All of these things are distinctly this film and only this film. It was really refreshing to see a film taking risks and doing original ideas, and landing these ideas in such an entertaining way, that we don't need to sexualise any character. We don't need a positive male role. We don't need a cameo from Batman or Joker.
Harley gets a lot of comparisons to Deadpool in the comic books, and I think it is fair to compare this film to being like Deadpool. Dark R-Rated humour, with silly, sharp wit. However, this excels past Deadpool because it doesn't lean on current pop culture references. It has a humour and talent all of its own that makes it timeless. I could see myself watching this again in 10 years and still laughing at all the jokes, but I definitely won't wait that long.
In short, I have got MAD LOVE for this film. And I'm sad because as I write this, reports are coming in that no one is going the cinema to see it. Some people are blaming the storm that has engulfed the UK, or the global bound Coronavirus seemingly threatening our ability to overcome any agoraphobic feelings we may have, but I feel it's simply because people have written off this movie already.
Life mimics art, as Harley without Joker is dismissed by crooks in the film, Harley without Joker is dismissed by moviegoers. All these DC fanboys who will pay money out of their own wallet to fly a fucking #ReleaseTheSnyderCut banner over SDCC won't show even an ounce of passion for a fellow DC legend. So please, I emplore you to go fill those seats in the cinema, then go and tell your mates how great the film was. Because word on the street is that Birds of Prey isn't worth watching, and the girls need their good name emancipated. NOW!
*It has now been renamed that by Warner Bros to make the film easier to recognise and boost ticket sales on cinema sites.
Tweet at us @talknerdyuk
Or Email us [email protected]