2.5 / 5
Given how Margot Robbie’s portrayal of Harley Quinn was regarded by many as one of the very few highlights of the abysmal 2016 dumpster fire that was Suicide Squad, it only makes sense to have one of the few remaining nudges at making the DC Cinematic Universe actually functional a solo Margot Harley spin-off. As you’d expect with any grounds-laid antihero sequel, this entrée embraces as many zany, colourful antics one can muster into a screen and tries to stretch as many familiar comic characters into the pink and blue mist with them.
Harley has broken up with the Joker and is left to go on her own path of independence with a new pet hyena. However, given how she’s sacrificed the protection of the most notorious madman in the criminal empire, all the grudging rivals are now all out for her. She also finds herself mixed in a diamond scandal, which she must resolve to avoid a brutal death by rising kingpin Black Mask, as well as Gotham’s underworld kings being under threat by an unknown crossbow-wielding assassin.
Out of the blue, one may be shocked by the abruptness of Harley’s rise as a solo figure, given how pivotal the Joker’s narrative influence on her was in Suicide Squad. But then one remembers how un-ironically laughable Jared Leto’s performance was as a verison of the character that only a 15-year-old Soundcloud rapper would imagine, worsened by how untimely revolutionary Joaquin Phoenix's performance was of the same character in the separate film, Joker. So while an independent film for the Harley Quinn character seemed the only surviving option, there are still many potentially entertaining ways to flesh out her iconic personality and eccentric violent but childish traits into a pumped hour-and-a-half flick.
If you simply want light-hearted acrobatic joke-cracking bonanza there’s tonnes here, with director Cathy Yan even taking influence from Deadpool’s fourth-wall-break humour to give Quinn some humorous, unconventional narrative power as she spends most of the first half quirkily recalling events leading up to the typical how-did-I-get-here situation, only in a slightly less cringe-worthy execution. She also obviously drops anvils of circus-themed action and trademark colourful style throughout the run time in case you somehow forgot who you’re supposed to be watching.
But despite Margot Robbie’s exceptional performance that actually makes you regard roller-skate car chases as normal and some slick physical humour, the rest of the characters admittedly get nearly nowhere with development and the whole plot’s engagement-factor seems to stem down to just how much you actually care about Harley as a character (which shouldn’t even matter as she’s the protagonist and all y’know). I admit to admiring Birds of Prey’s decision of taking the obvious step in becoming a small-scale crime narrative for characters like Harley rather than repeating Suicide Squad’s atrocious choice in following a done-to-death apocalyptic supervillain bonanza where a girl with a baseball bat and a drunk lad with boomerangs are seen as fitting for the job than a professional like Batman (who was in the same film!!).
But the cops vs gangster trope the film goes for ends up bitterly shallow, with the other members of the ‘Birds of Prey’ being basic beaten-down justice fighters who’s bland personas the film tries to humorously juxtapose with Harley’s but usually falls flat.
Black Canary is an emotionally-broken singer at a gangster’s nightclub who decides to aid Harley against her boss and that’s the end of that trope. Detective Renee Montoya, who investigates the streak of crossbow murders, is played well by Rosie Perez but her whole character arc is centred around case rejects from her boss leading to her deciding to secretly defect to Harley’s side to get justice done. That’s it. Not much thought other than some sassy dialogue. Then there’s the main antagonist, Black Mask. While this villain portrayal isn’t as iconically dreadful as Leto’s Joker, Ewan McGregor is clearly only in this pitch for some notoriously overblown fun as a cooldown from Doctor Sleep. For a villain who’s supposedly a well-feared crime boss who tortures mercilessly, McGregor’s acting level of seriousness can only really be compared to Eddie Redmayne from Jupiter Ascending or Nic Cage from Vampire’s Kiss. Let that sink in.
While a vast improvement from its messy predecessor, Birds of Prey would likely have benefitted as a pure solo Harley Quinn show, given its roster of underwhelming main characters and dry predictable narratives. Margot Robbie struggles to carry the dead weight of the film’s pace and her humour even comes across as half-baked more than a few times as she tries to charismatically thrive in hashed dev ja vu scenarios. The film even tries adopting several bizarrely random montages with Harley that can only be considered either trailer bait or trying to sell some colourful surrealism to distract you from the bitter lacklustre from the rest of the film.
A few referential gags and paint buckets of colourful cinematic style can’t save Birds of Prey from overly-long mediocrity. While it boasts a defining lead performance and all the personality you’d expect from her character, there’s little in it for the actual ‘Birds of Prey’ stuff and the short post-breakup montage of Harley wailing in her pink onesie while trying to distract herself by necking canned cheese with a movie essentially lays down the spectatorship mood for most of the film.
