Birds of Prey (And the Fantabulous Emancipation of One Harley Quinn)
Margot Robbie reprises her iconic Suicide Squad role in this DC Extended Universe actioner. Written and directed by women (Christina Hodson and Cathy Yan respectively), Birds of Prey sees female characters joining forces against a Gotham City crime lord.
After parting ways with The Joker, Harley Quinn (Robbie) teams up with Black Canary (Jurnee Smollett-Bell, TV's Underground), Huntress (Mary Elizabeth Winstead, 10 Cloverfield Lane) and Renee Montoya (Oscar nominee Rosie Perez, Fearless) to rescue a little girl (Ella Jay Basco in her feature debut) from Black Mask (Ewan McGregor).
Reviews & comments
Flicks, Katie Parker
flicksUnlike the grimly desaturated, crushingly dour comic book aesthetic favoured by so many of its peers, Birds of Prey is fun, bright, and alive. Its aspects of social realism (abusive foster homes, abusive bosses, various other forms of abuse) are taken in purposeful stride rather than broodily stewed over. Even the final showdown is refreshingly short and snappy—punctuating the film perfectly rather than dragging it out endlessly as is so often the case. Birds of Prey may not be the most powerful or poignant movie you’ll see this year, but as a foray into female empowerment, it is a buoyant, bullshit-free blast.
While this film has its cool moments, I mostly found its pace to be sub-par, fuelled by an overload of music, which never gave me a moment to take in the breadth of the story, or to empathise with any of the characters. For the most part it is a face value, kicky flashy film, that is by no means terribly bad, but ultimately offers little to keep me...
Birds of Prey: Oh it's a not so fantabulous solo flick of Harley Quinn
Birds of Prey ... or is it 'Harley Quinn: Birds of Prey' now? The Harley Quinn movie? Yeah that works. Directed by Cathy Yan and starring Margot Robbie and Ewan McGregor, it's ... not good. Now this is just an opinion. Not a fact. Some people liked this movie, some people didn't and most weren't bothered to watch it (evidently so). Cathy Yan did her best...
The Birds are Prey.
Welcome to the age of the fairer being. With the recent "me too" movement that began in Hollywood in the middle of 2018 and gained traction after the release of some damaging exposes and high profile sexual assault accusations (lets face it, we all know who I am writing about), it can now be realised that the dawning of the female revolution is firmly upon...
New Zealand Listener
pressThis sequel stands alone as a thoroughly entertaining two hours of exuberant fun, thanks to terrific performances by Mary Elizabeth Winstead’s “Huntress”, the breakthrough chutzpah of 13-year-old Ella Jay Basco as a feisty orphan, and a welcome return from TV for Rosie Perez.
Empire Magazine
pressIt’s messy, with a middle section that sags, but Birds Of Prey has vibrancy, anarchy and balls to spare. Harley and Joker are dead. Long live Harley Quinn.
FilmInk
press… basically Harley Quinn’s adventure with some entertaining guest stars, and a bunch of colourful, affable nitwittery designed to appeal to an audience in the mood for a good time or just lightly drunk.
Sydney Morning Herald
pressLike any film about a villain redeemed, Birds of Prey must wrestle with the question of how far the protagonist's naughtiness ought to go.
Stuff
pressThe only comparison I can make is to Tarantino's Kill Bill. Think of Birds of Prey as a silly, but well made reboot of a couple of that film's multiple storylines. If that sounds like something you might enjoy, then have at it.
The New York Times
pressThe mood of antic, playful obnoxiousness feels forced rather than liberated, the result of careful note-taking during repeated viewings of "Deadpool."
Time Out
pressCathy Yan lets her heroine's mania guide her through a story that's scrappy, weird and ultimately fun as hell.
The Guardian
pressThis film is a blitz of bad taste, a cornucopia of crass, and it is weirdly diverting - more than you might expect, given the frosty way Suicide Squad was received critically - and engagingly crazy.
Hollywood Reporter
pressBut those hoping for a Deadpool-like fusion of mayhem and wit should lower their expectations: Harley may be known for her unpredictability, but Birds plays by action-movie rules.
Variety
pressCathy Yan keeps it all hurtling along with impeccable ferocity. Her action scenes have a deftly detonating visual spaciousness, capped by crowd-pleasing moments...
Flicks, Katie Parker
flicksUnlike the grimly desaturated, crushingly dour comic book aesthetic favoured by so many of its peers, Birds of Prey is fun, bright, and alive. Its aspects of social realism (abusive foster homes, abusive bosses, various other forms of abuse) are taken in purposeful stride rather than broodily stewed over. Even the final showdown is refreshingly short and snappy—punctuating the film perfectly rather than dragging it out endlessly as is so often the case. Birds of Prey may not be the most powerful or poignant movie you’ll see this year, but as a foray into female empowerment, it is a buoyant, bullshit-free blast.
New Zealand Listener
pressThis sequel stands alone as a thoroughly entertaining two hours of exuberant fun, thanks to terrific performances by Mary Elizabeth Winstead’s “Huntress”, the breakthrough chutzpah of 13-year-old Ella Jay Basco as a feisty orphan, and a welcome return from TV for Rosie Perez.
Empire Magazine
pressIt’s messy, with a middle section that sags, but Birds Of Prey has vibrancy, anarchy and balls to spare. Harley and Joker are dead. Long live Harley Quinn.
FilmInk
press… basically Harley Quinn’s adventure with some entertaining guest stars, and a bunch of colourful, affable nitwittery designed to appeal to an audience in the mood for a good time or just lightly drunk.
Sydney Morning Herald
pressLike any film about a villain redeemed, Birds of Prey must wrestle with the question of how far the protagonist's naughtiness ought to go.
Stuff
pressThe only comparison I can make is to Tarantino's Kill Bill. Think of Birds of Prey as a silly, but well made reboot of a couple of that film's multiple storylines. If that sounds like something you might enjoy, then have at it.
The New York Times
pressThe mood of antic, playful obnoxiousness feels forced rather than liberated, the result of careful note-taking during repeated viewings of "Deadpool."
Time Out
pressCathy Yan lets her heroine's mania guide her through a story that's scrappy, weird and ultimately fun as hell.
The Guardian
pressThis film is a blitz of bad taste, a cornucopia of crass, and it is weirdly diverting - more than you might expect, given the frosty way Suicide Squad was received critically - and engagingly crazy.
Hollywood Reporter
pressBut those hoping for a Deadpool-like fusion of mayhem and wit should lower their expectations: Harley may be known for her unpredictability, but Birds plays by action-movie rules.
Variety
pressCathy Yan keeps it all hurtling along with impeccable ferocity. Her action scenes have a deftly detonating visual spaciousness, capped by crowd-pleasing moments...
While this film has its cool moments, I mostly found its pace to be sub-par, fuelled by an overload of music, which never gave me a moment to take in the breadth of the story, or to empathise with any of the characters. For the most part it is a face value, kicky flashy film, that is by no means terribly bad, but ultimately offers little to keep me...
Birds of Prey: Oh it's a not so fantabulous solo flick of Harley Quinn
Birds of Prey ... or is it 'Harley Quinn: Birds of Prey' now? The Harley Quinn movie? Yeah that works. Directed by Cathy Yan and starring Margot Robbie and Ewan McGregor, it's ... not good. Now this is just an opinion. Not a fact. Some people liked this movie, some people didn't and most weren't bothered to watch it (evidently so). Cathy Yan did her...
The Birds are Prey.
Welcome to the age of the fairer being. With the recent "me too" movement that began in Hollywood in the middle of 2018 and gained traction after the release of some damaging exposes and high profile sexual assault accusations (lets face it, we all know who I am writing about), it can now be realised that the dawning of the female revolution is firmly...
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