Saturday, February 29, 2020

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

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Birds of Prey sees Margot Robbie reprising her role as Harley Quinn. She finds herself in the crosshairs of Ewan McGregor’s Roman Sionis following her break-up with the Joker because their relationship allowed Harley some semblance of protection. In all honesty, the story’s almost difficult to describe. Harley narrates the movie. So, you’re getting the plot from a pretty scattershot point of view. While this can occasionally make things feel like they have something of a style over substance feel, it’s not something that ever really bothered me. The movie’s biggest issue is that it’s a Birds of Prey movie. The movie should have been called Harley Quinn. Harley’s the undisputed lead in this film. The birds of prey themselves are good. They are there. It just felt like calling this Birds of Prey feels like a miscalculation. The characters are what really drive this movie forward. The characters are the most entertaining part of the movie, especially Harley and Roman Sionis. It helps that Margot Robbie and Ewan McGregor really sell their roles. I also want to give the action sequences props. They are a ton of fun to watch. Overall, Birds of Prey has some pretty minor flaws, but the overall result is a movie that is a ton of fun, and I do feel comfortable recommending this movie. 

8 / 10