Going into Birds of Prey, directed by Cathy Yan, (I’m absolutely not typing out the longer title!), I was pretty hopeful for an entertaining film. Margot Robbie seemed really enthusiastic about getting this film done and the trailers made it look like a solid comic book film. Ewan McGregor also seemed to be having a lot of fun in the trailers as the villain Black Mask. Although the links to Suicide Squad were there, a film that for many was incredibly messy and over-stylised, there was a feeling that this would be slightly more toned down, while still very much being a part of that type of world, giving us a more coherent film that still felt linked to the film it was a spin-off from.
The film, for the most part, does actually deliver on this. While the film is called Birds of Prey, it is mostly centred around Harley Quinn, with the Birds of Prey playing supporting roles, so much so that the title in the US has now been changed to Harley Quinn: Birds of Prey. The story for the film is about Harley Quinn breaking up with The Joker, which sets her onto the path of getting involved with a stolen diamond, wanted by Black Mask, who with Harley and The Joker now separate, sees an opportunity to get his revenge on Harley without repercussion. As a bargain for her life, Harley agrees to retrieve the diamond for Black Mask, which puts her on a collision course with Cassandra Cain, Renee Montoya, Black Canary and Huntress. What appealed to me about this story is the way that it’s fairly small scale and allows for more character time and development for Harley, played really well by Margot Robbie. She manages at times to inject a sense of vulnerability into quite a naturally over-exaggerated character. The low-key aspect of the story also allows for smaller scale villains, such as Black Mask and Victor Zsasz, played by Ewan McGregor and Chris Messina, to shine and they’re both an incredibly entertaining pair to watch on screen.
Two things I really liked about Birds of Prey was the action and the set designs. Cathy Yan does a great job at directing the film, although as a relative newcomer, only having directed one feature film before this, Chad Stahelski of John Wick fame came in to oversee the action scenes on this, something I think is an excellent idea. The action scenes in this film are incredibly well choreographed, you can see every bit of action that goes on, with no shaky cam or blur to distract the viewer from it. The action at times is incredibly over the top graphic, which only helps to add to the comic book feel that is being embraced here. The set design is really impressive, especially during the end sequence, the main thing that sticks in my mind is the colours used, they’re bright enough to add that sense of style to the world being created, whilst not being too garish that they distract away from what’s going on. In Birds of Prey, there seems to be a more comfortable sense that this is a comic book film and it feels like everyone involved is relaxed and having a lot more fun with it. Along with the aforementioned acting performances, I also thought Mary Elizabeth Winstead as Huntress and Jurnee Smollett-Bell were great as Huntress and Black Canary respectively, with Winstead putting in a brilliant comedic performance in her limited screen time.
However, the narrative structure in the film was one part that took away from the film for me and prevented it from being able to move from solid to great, as it took just a little long to get going and once it did, it jumped all over the place, flashing back every few minutes. I can see why they went for this approach, to match up with the chaotic feeling of Harley Quinn, but for me it seemed to take away from the development of the Birds of Prey, especially the characters of Renee Montoya and Cassandra Cain and with so much narrative to get through and so many new characters to be introduced, it may have been better to go with a more straight forward narrative. The film seems caught between making it solely about Harley Quinn and being about the Birds of Prey, but I feel like it would’ve been better served if it had focused more on the Birds of Prey aspect, especially to build on the theme of Harley going out on her own and finding a new place to belong. We also get intermittent narration from Harley throughout the film, sometimes in places where it feels a bit odd, sometimes it works but at other times it can take you out of the story a little bit.
Ultimately, Birds of Prey is a really fun film, feeling like a real throwback to 90’s comic book films, creating a world that feels quite lively and offering great chemistry between the characters when they are all together. Although it is still slightly messy here and there, it is refreshing to see a comic book film played for slightly lower stakes, rather than an end of the world type theme that might not necessarily fit the characters or the themes. If you’re looking for a fun superhero action film with some strong performances, I would recommend you check this one out, as long as you go in knowing what to expect.
Overall rating – 🌟🌟🌟/5
Benson's Film Reviews 