Birds of Prey: And the Fantabulous Emancipation of One Harley Quinn
3/4
Starring: Margot Robbie, Ella Jay Bosco, Rosie Perez, Jurnee Smollett-Bell, Mary Elizabeth Winstead, Ewan McGregor, Chris Messina
Rated R for Strong Violence and Language Throughout, and Some Sexual and Drug Material
"Birds of Prey: And the Fantabulous Emancipation of One Harley Quinn" is as off-kilter an action movie as its zany anti-heroine. It's loud, it's colorful, it's definitely warped, and it is fun. It isn't anything special, but it delivers the goods.
Harley Quinn (Robbie) has just been dumped by her boyfriend, the Joker. To announce this to the world, she decides to blow up the ACME chemical plant (she always gets her best ideas while drunk, or so she claims). However, that puts her in the crosshairs of some dangerous people since she was considered untouchable as the Joker's squeeze. Like Roman Sionis (McGregor), who uses her to try and find a diamond with the account of a vast mob fortune hidden inside. Also in the mix are a much-beleaguered police detective named Renee Montoya (Perez) who is certain that Sionis is up to no good, Montoya's informant (Smollett-Bell) who is now Sionis's new driver, and a mysterious, crossbow-wielding mob assassin. Oh, and there's also Cassandra (Bosco), who has accidentally come into possession of the diamond.
"Birds of Prey" has a lot of energy and humor, much of which comes from the wacky energy of Margot Robbie and the kinetic way in which director Cathy Yan tells the story. Both are so pumped up that they almost succeed in disguising the fact that the film doesn't really have an actual plot. It's all action and attitude. But, for a February release of yet another comic book movie, it's enough for the result to be an entertaining ride. If an entirely inconsequential one.
Chief among the film's best qualities is Margot Robbie, who is having a blast playing the morally questionable Harley Quinn. It's always fun to watch a character who has no sense of manners or decorum, which is why Harley is so likable even though she commits crimes with nary a regard for the law. She's a live wire and sets the tone for this warped tale. The girls in the cast are great and manage the difficult task of both ceding the spotlight to Robbie while still being able to emerge from her shadow. If there's a disappointment in the casting department, it's the guys. Ewan McGregor is a fine actor, but he's no comic book bad guy. I'll give him props for the attempt, but he's just not weird or villainous enough. And Chris Messina is so creepy as his henchman (in a bad way) that I wanted to take a shower every time he showed up.
Like most comic book movies, it's the cinematic equivalent of caffeinated soda and a large candy. It's fun, but not nutritious. And it will be long forgotten until it's sold at discount to generate hype for the sequel. At least it has more going for it than fan service and canon. And listening to other audience members screaming out every Easter egg they see.
Starring: Margot Robbie, Ella Jay Bosco, Rosie Perez, Jurnee Smollett-Bell, Mary Elizabeth Winstead, Ewan McGregor, Chris Messina
Rated R for Strong Violence and Language Throughout, and Some Sexual and Drug Material
"Birds of Prey: And the Fantabulous Emancipation of One Harley Quinn" is as off-kilter an action movie as its zany anti-heroine. It's loud, it's colorful, it's definitely warped, and it is fun. It isn't anything special, but it delivers the goods.
Harley Quinn (Robbie) has just been dumped by her boyfriend, the Joker. To announce this to the world, she decides to blow up the ACME chemical plant (she always gets her best ideas while drunk, or so she claims). However, that puts her in the crosshairs of some dangerous people since she was considered untouchable as the Joker's squeeze. Like Roman Sionis (McGregor), who uses her to try and find a diamond with the account of a vast mob fortune hidden inside. Also in the mix are a much-beleaguered police detective named Renee Montoya (Perez) who is certain that Sionis is up to no good, Montoya's informant (Smollett-Bell) who is now Sionis's new driver, and a mysterious, crossbow-wielding mob assassin. Oh, and there's also Cassandra (Bosco), who has accidentally come into possession of the diamond.
"Birds of Prey" has a lot of energy and humor, much of which comes from the wacky energy of Margot Robbie and the kinetic way in which director Cathy Yan tells the story. Both are so pumped up that they almost succeed in disguising the fact that the film doesn't really have an actual plot. It's all action and attitude. But, for a February release of yet another comic book movie, it's enough for the result to be an entertaining ride. If an entirely inconsequential one.
Chief among the film's best qualities is Margot Robbie, who is having a blast playing the morally questionable Harley Quinn. It's always fun to watch a character who has no sense of manners or decorum, which is why Harley is so likable even though she commits crimes with nary a regard for the law. She's a live wire and sets the tone for this warped tale. The girls in the cast are great and manage the difficult task of both ceding the spotlight to Robbie while still being able to emerge from her shadow. If there's a disappointment in the casting department, it's the guys. Ewan McGregor is a fine actor, but he's no comic book bad guy. I'll give him props for the attempt, but he's just not weird or villainous enough. And Chris Messina is so creepy as his henchman (in a bad way) that I wanted to take a shower every time he showed up.
Like most comic book movies, it's the cinematic equivalent of caffeinated soda and a large candy. It's fun, but not nutritious. And it will be long forgotten until it's sold at discount to generate hype for the sequel. At least it has more going for it than fan service and canon. And listening to other audience members screaming out every Easter egg they see.
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