‘Oh hey, you’re the asshole no one likes...’
So, we’re back here again. The goddamn DC Extended Universe (DCEU). How many hours have I wasted sitting through their trash movies to get to the good ones? Too many hours, some said. Well, after watching Birds of Prey I’m nearly all caught up on the DCEU saga, and to be honest, I’m none the wiser as to who these movies are for…
After publicly announcing her break up from the Joker in spectacular fashion, Harley Quinn (Margot Robbie) loses the protection afforded to her by Mr J and becomes public enemy number one in Gotham. Specifically for Roman Sionis (Ewan McGregor) and his band of ghouls. Elsewhere, a mysterious woman dressed in black (Mary Elizabeth Winstead) is murdering people with a crossbow whilst a crusading cop (Rosie Perez) is trying to lock everyone up. There is also a nightclub singer named Dinah Lance (Jurnee Smollett) who is also involved in some way. I lost track.
As a good Catholic boy, I was always taught to start with a positive so… Margot Robbie saves, owns and triumphs throughout Birds of Prey. The thought of anyone else in this role is now inconceivable which is a testament to Robbie’s star power and her ability to bring the character of Harley Quinn kicking and screaming to the big screen. Her co-stars fare less well with Winstead and Perez unconvincing and McGregor miscast as the villainous antagonist. Having said that, Birds of Prey is just about worth sitting through for Robbie’s performance alone and director Cathy Yan does stage some genuinely awesome fight scenes that keep the movie moving along during it’s occasional lapses whilst Christina Hodson’s script mostly manages to be funny and compelling without succumbing to the gloomy cliches that have doomed the rest of the DCEU to failure.
Whilst reviewing Aquaman, I arrogantly pondered whether every single superhero needs their own movie. Whilst Birds of Prey just about justifies its existence, it never really provides a worthwhile platform for its astonishing star to truly shine. A missed opportunity.