Blown Away by Birds of Prey
Birds of Prey (and the Fantabulous Emancipation of One Harley Quinn)
Directed by Cathy Yan
Written by Christina Hodson
Starring: Margot Robbie, Ewan McGregor,
Jurnee Smollett-Bell
I'm
an odd ball when it comes to comic book movies. My favorite Batman
film is Batman: Forever. I'm perfectly fine if I never get to see
Snyder's cut of Justice League. Suicide Squad has become one of my
favorite movies. With the exception of the last thirty minutes, I
thought Joker was boring. I haven't watched a Marvel movie since
walking out of the theater in the middle of Iron Man 3. So, now that
I've destroyed my own credibility with 3/4 of the internet's
commentators, let me tell you about Birds of Prey (and the
Fantabulous Emancipation of One Harley Quinn). I loved this movie and
its a nearly perfect film.
The
story in Birds of Prey unfolds in an unexpected way. Even though
Harley Quinn is the main focus, every main character is introduced
and flushed out in equal measure. Margot Robbie embodies what I want
from an actor playing Harley Quinn. Unlike in her portrayal of Harley
in Suicide Squad, Robbie is able to stick to her accent for the
entire film. She also brings quite a bit of range to a roll that
could easily be one dimensional. Ewan McGregor may make for a
convincing Irish heroin addict or an amazing Jedi, but he was born to
play a comic book villain. As Black Mask, McGregor puts his own spin
on the aspiring Gotham crime lord, making the character both humorous
and fearsome. My favorite character in the movie was Mary Elizabeth
Winstead's Valerie “Huntress” Bertinelli. Winstead brought a
quiet intensity to the character that worked as a great foil to
Harley's zaniness. The writing and line delivery from Robbie,
McGregor, and Winstead had me laughing out loud every five minutes.
The
movie also had great action scenes. The fight scenes were well
choreographed and well shot. Several of the action sequences played
out in ways I've personally never seen before. In an action movie
that could have easily stuck to cliches, Birds of Prey's takes its
action scenes in unexpected directions. I also really enjoyed the
movie's soundtrack and score. The music perfectly fits with what is
occurring in each scene. The soundtrack was also a good mix of
original versions and covers of great songs by female artists. There
are a few settings that feel larger than life, but for the most part
the Gotham City shown in the film looks like an actual city. The
realistic setting provides some grounding that gives the story room
for over the top moments.
I
saw the film with my wife, who is neither a fan of action movies or
knowledgeable about comic books. As such, she's a good base line for
what the casual movie-goer will think about this movie. My wife would
have enjoyed the movie more if it was closer to a traditional “girl
power” team up movie. I for one am glad that this wasn't the case.
Writer Hodson and Director Yan put their own spin on this genre of
film. The end result is something highly enjoyable that is never
heavy handed in its themes. My wife and I both agreed that the worst
thing about the movie was Rosie Perez's portrayal of Rene Montoya. In
all of her movies, Perez does a great of playing a mouthy latinia
[insert her character's job here] character. Birds of Prey was no
exception to this, but it would have been a better movie if Perez had
been able to bring more nuance to her interpretation of Rene Montoya.
From
a comic book perspective, the movie has a lot of great nods to both
Harley's origin in Batman: The Animated Series as well Conner and
Palmiotti's run on Harley's solo comic book. Some of these touches
may go over the heads of viewers unfamiliar with the comic books, but
these details are sure to delight long time readers. My only
complaint as a long time reader of these characters, is the portrayal
of Cassandra Cain. Please don't misunderstand, I'm not one of those
people who only wants to see a character portrayed exactly as they
are in the comics. Ella Jay Basco actually does a great job with her
character and adds a lot to the movie. However, the filmmakers
drastically changed all the things that make comic book Cassandra
Cain such a cool character. Considering Cain isn't that well known of
a character, I find the choice to use the character's name in this
movie baffling. Stephanie “Spoiler” Brown or Ev “Starling”
Crawford would have been more logical choices for use in the film.
Much like my introduction to this review, Birds of Prey is a movie that embraces what it is and what its about. This is a movie that is much more than the sum of its parts. From the animated cold open that explains Harley's origin to the opening sequence that pulls in the viewer. From the hilarious dialogue to the exciting action sequences. From the dynamic cinematography to the rocking score. All of these aspects combine to make Birds of Prey a highly enjoyable action-comedy.
