Should you watch this at weekend movie ticket prices? Yes.
Should you watch this more than once? No.
Secret ending? Yes.
Birds of Prey finally managed to achieve what Suicide Squad could not — which is to be a movie that is actually fun (no surprise since Birds of Prey didn’t have to undergo last minute reshoots to become “fun”). Irreverence is the name of the game in this film, which makes it a point to show just how chaotic its mostly good-looking characters can be. But while the general premise of the movie is obvious, its plot is a gigantic, enormous mess.
The film follows the adventures of the insane criminal Harley Quinn after her breakup with the Joker. She runs afoul of old enemies even as she finds unlikely allies all over Gotham City. But she struggles to overcome her worst impulses, which may be both her greatest strength as well as her worst weakness.
Birds of Prey is fun. Gratuitously, violently, holistically so. But of course, you would know that before watching the show, since that’s what the entire premise of the film is about. From the action, to the violence (or rather, carnage), to the skimpy costumes, to the (literal) colourful characters, there’s no mistaking that the film was made with a mindset of fun, even if you don’t know what is happening, which is pretty much all the time.
There’s very little resembling a plot in the film. Sure, there’s some form of a narrative going on, but it’s not so much a plot as it is a series of contrivances to get to the end point. But the problem is that the premise of the film is its end point — not its starting point. In other words, the movie takes a long time to show how a team of misfits who need emancipation get together, rather starting with a team of misfits who need emancipation and showing their hijinks.
But it’s an odd storytelling choice, especially since the movie’s script is in shambles. Why not just throw them all together in the first Act and give audiences more scenes of them in action, rather than taking so laboriously long to manifest the premise of the show? If storytelling doesn’t matter, just throw the characters together and have them do their thing. The script is already struggling to maintain each of the character’s storylines before clumsily mooshing all of those threads together at the end. It should just have accepted that a coherent story was not going to happen, and just assemble the team in the first 20 minutes.
Character-wise, the film mostly shines. Ewan McGregor is absolutely hilarious as the tantrum-throwing villain Roman Sionis. In any other film, he would be completely out of place. But his self-obsessed narcissism fits in perfectly with the over the top world of Birds of Prey. And it’s clear that McGregor is having a ball of time depicting Sionis — he really sinks his teeth into the role and enjoys it. It’s one of the most entertaining aspects of the film.
On the other hand, the main character herself is a little underdeveloped. Margot Robbie takes to the role of Harley Quinn with gusto, but the problem is that the film takes way too long trying to dissociate her from the Joker, which ironically links her even more strongly to Batman’s archenemy. They try to shed light on her thoughts with copious voiceovers of what she’s thinking, but this raises even more questions. Isn’t she insane? If not, why bother trying to make her relatable? Understanding Harley has never been central to her character, and the writer clearly doesn’t, so it just goes to show how underdeveloped she is.
Birds of Prey‘s greatest strength is its visuals, but its story is as horribly structured as its cast members are colourful. If you’re watching it, you should know exactly what you’ll be in for — which will make it one of the most fun films of 2020. Stick around for an irritating post-credits scene.
Score: 4.1/5
Running time: 109 min
Birds of Prey is a superhero film that’s the eighth in the DC Extended Universe.
It is directed by Cathy Yan and written by Christina Hodgson. It stars Margot Robbie (Harley Quinn/Harleen Quinzel), Mary Elizabeth Winstead (Huntress/Helena Bertinelli), Jurnee Smollett-Bell (Black Canary/Dinah Laurel Lance), Rosie Perez (Renee Montoya), Chris Messina (Victor Zsasz), Ella Jay Basco (Cassandra Cain), and Ewan McGregor (Roman Sionis). It is rated NC-16.
Birds of Prey opens in cinemas:
– 6 February, 2020 (Singapore)
– 6 February, 2020 (Philippines)
This article was first published on and written for Yahoo Lifestyle Singapore.
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I’m an independent scriptwriter who’s written for popular shows like Lion Mums, Crimewatch, Police & Thief, and Incredible Tales. I’m also a Transformers enthusiast and avid pop culture scholar. You can find me on social media as Optimarcus and on my site.
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