REVIEW: Birds of Prey - The Fabulous Emancipation of One Harley Quinn

Birds of Prey, or what it should be known as, The Fabulous Emancipation of One Harley Quinn, is a movie I had low expectations for.

Incredibly low.

You see, dearest reader, I’ve never really liked Harley Quinn. As a character she just seemed kinda gross to me. Maybe trashy is a better word? Yeah. Kinda trashy. Off putting. Weird. I didn’t understand why there was such an obsession with her.  

I’ll admit until this film I had never read her comics, or seen her in a tv show, or done anything outside of painfully sit through Suicide Squad and absorb through osmosis. But the concept of this quirky comic book sex symbol was super unappealing to me. Like, are we supposed to be rooting for this toxic romance between her and the Joker? Is she supposed to be scary/evil? What’s the deal with all this puddin’ baby talk that makes me want to immediately jump into a river of fire every time I hear it? I just got this vibe that people only liked Harley Quinn because she was “hot” or “crazy” and overlooked anything flawed with that.

So again, very very low expectations for my enjoyment of this movie.

But ya know what?

Hand to Detective Comics #27, Birds of Prey was freakin’ enjoyable.

Visually it’s this mishmash of Tim Burton-y set and costume design, acrobatic fight choreography, and neon lights. The beautiful metallic CGI DC comic book movies have become known for makes an appearance, but it’s not featured as much as you might think, and for the first time the insane amount of graphics comes across as a stylistic choice rather than an obligation to spectacle.  

In fact, compared to the usual Justice League fare, Birds of Prey feels more grounded in all respects. Sure, it’s bombastic, kooky, full of camera tricks, title cards, voice over, and even some 2D animation, but the filmmakers are shooting for a tone that’s so over the top no amount of style feels like a major stretch. Where something like Suicide Squad or Aquaman will meander around trying to figure out if it’s funny, or edgy, or what the heck it is, the people behind Birds of Prey know EXCATLY what they’re making from the get-go. This sense of vision gives even the weaker moments (looking at you beat cop B-plot) a solid foundation.

I think the main reason I’m more on board with this movie than other recent additions to the DC lineup is that Birds of Prey goes all in on that old school comic book movie craziness that impressed us so much in the late 2000s. It’s bit a corny, full of glamor, and not afraid of delving into those silly-serious moments where a character’s origin story contains a vat full of brain altering chemicals. In fact, it seems like director Cathy Yan revels in making things feel more comic book-y than real, getting the entire cast to say “Screw reality. We want that Sami Rami’s Spiderman, Hellboy, X-Men kinda energy. Heck toss in a heapin’ helpin’ of Deadpool for good measure!”

OH, SPEAKING OF DEADPOOL!

In pretty much every sequence you can feel the influence of the chimichanga lovin’ assassin. The humor is the same, the story structure is the same, they even contain similar themes about self-worth and finding purpose. Remember that 2D animation I mentioned? They practically went to the same character designer.

I can definitely see how this might bother some people. I do believe there is a point where 2 movies are SO similar that the newer of the bunch deserves some negative criticism for sheer lack of creativity. But personally, I think the character dynamics in Birds of Prey separate it enough to avoid that complaint from me. Because while Deadpool works best as an obnoxious lone gun type, Harley Quinn is an ensemble film’s dream.

And here’s the point of the review where I let you know that I feel like I get Harley Quinn now.

Because even though the narrative isn’t as tight as Deadpool, even though the jokes didn’t land as well for me, even though the film had plenty of muddled plot points and the constant pop music cues got on my nerves, when comparing this movie to Deadpool, I get it. I get the Harley Quinn appeal.

Margo Robbie creates this person in Birds of Prey who is easily as funny as Ryan Reynold’s character, and certainly as ostentatious in the personality department, but far more complex. Almost deep. Where Deadpool chooses to be immature and violent in order to cope with painful reality, Quinn’s solution to pain is to embrace chaos with glee.

She’s not deflecting, she’s not dumb, in fact there’s this gleam of absolute brilliance behind her glazed over insanity. Harley Quinn has just fully convinced herself that her truest form is found in a sort of hammer wielding madness that’s perfectly complimented by the clown prince of crime. (until they breakup in this movie off screen)

In some part through her own making, and in some part through fate and tragedy, we as an audience are given this individual with the capability to do good things, a person who knows what is right, but is constantly motivated to do wrong. She’s a lot like Jack Sparrow from Pirates of the Caribbean: a little dangerous, 100% crazy, but perhaps deep down a good person...way deep down.

When paired with other characters she immediately becomes a captivating force, unifying everyone’s motivations and bringing depth to what would otherwise be pretty standard conflict. Everybody’s gotta look out for Harley Quinn. Cause she’s not exactly bad enough to be a true supervillain, but she’s certainly not good enough to be a superhero either. Do you befriend her? Will she betray you? Maybe we should just put her in jail? No matter what side you’re on, she’s an asset, but no matter what side you’re on, she’s a problem.

When I think about Harley Quinn from this perspective the issues I mentioned earlier begin to fade away. Her toxic relationship doesn’t seem so forced.  Her scary-ness/evil-ness is constantly thrust into question. The bizarre “sexy” take comes across more as a subconscious theatrical weapon than something done in earnest. She’s more than skimpy clothes and a vague Brooklyn accent that goes in and out (although she’s definitely that too and I’m sure that’s why a lot of people like her) Harley Quinn is a great character!

So, final thoughts on Birds of Prey.

While it CERTAINLY has a ton of flaws (that I didn’t really get into in this 1000+ word review) there’s something about this movie I like a lot. Maybe it’s the fact that watching someone do a slightly comical tap dance on the line between good in evil has always been extremely compelling to me? I don’t really know.

But I’ll tell you what, I’ll be watching the next Harley Quinn movie, and I doubt I would have said that before seeing this.

4/5

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