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

“I’m the one they should be scared of! Not you, not Mister J! Because I’m Harley Freaking Quinn!”

Filmology Rating: 3 out of 4

Birds of Prey is the Harley Quinn film that many have been eager to see since 'Suicide Squad.' It was directed by Cathy Yan who has been given a large responsibility here having only done a handful of lower-budgeted films. 

Harley Quinn (Margot Robbie) and the Joker have broken up and now that Quinn is no longer tied to the Clown Prince of Crime, she is seeing a myriad of comeuppance from people she has wronged, which includes Black Mask (Ewan McGregor). However, Black Mask is seeking a diamond for evil-man reasons and he tasks Quinn to find Cassandra Cain who he believes has the diamond. 

This is a very frustrating film because it does not lack style in the slightest. However, there is this sense that the screenwriter has many lanes of cheating the screenplay. The main way is having Harley Quinn (a psychotic criminal) doing an objective narration, which gives the film the excuse to tell its story as if a psychotic criminal were telling it. This gives the film structural issues in the first half. 

The narration also acted as an exposition crutch for the writer. So often would the film literally say, "Scratch that. Let's go back and explain this thing that wasn't set up." At first, it was cute because it was in Quinn's character until I realized that it happened so often that it was a storytelling issue. 

I was waiting for the film's "hook;" by means of characters, plot/story, and style. However, the majority of the characters are simply too one-dimensional. Harley Quinn is the only character to have any internal conflict and that's hardly addressed at all. 

All of the other "Birds of Prey" are also very underdeveloped and there to simply form an awesome group by the climax. A climax in which there is one instance of major deus ex machina from a member of the "Birds of Prey." Robbie as Harley Quinn is definitely relishing this role. It gives her the opportunity to show her range as an actress and she is loads of fun to watch. However, as a main character, she is too mentally unstable to really put yourself into, I feel. I found myself mindlessly watching things happen as terrific set-pieces strung those events together.

The film is very stylistic. I'm not certain if the creative-driving force was Cathy Yan or Margot Robbie, but the visual aesthetic is very reminiscent of the film's tone and characters themselves; very punk. However, the style does over-take its substance by ten-fold. 

Ewan McGregor as Black Mask was very under-written. McGregor is trying his damndest to elevate the character (to almost a cartoonish level), but the character simply does very little until the climax of the film. 

Some of the aspects I very much enjoyed was the feminist angle of the film. Though it does get a little heavy-handed at times, the film really has fun with its chaotic escalation and the female characters are at the center of that escalation. 

The best way to describe this film is probably style over substance and a banal plot. It was entertaining enough, but really pales in comparison to 'Shazam' or 'Joker.' However, it is a fine romp and not too long.

Rating: Rent It

-Nolan