Movie Review--Birds Of Prey

"Family is a fucking illusion . . ."
--Roman Sionis, Birds of Prey


Birds of Prey might be far more coherent than its predecessor Suicide Squad, but it nonetheless lacks both the thematic depth of Wonder Woman and Joker and the emotional core of Shazam!.  It is in no way the worst of the DCEU, nor is it the anti-egalitarian (in other words, misandrist) film that many recent female-led superhero movies are slanderously predicted to be.  The R rating even gives director Cathy Yan--the second female director to contribute to the DCEU!--more to work with, and she directs the action sequences in particular very well, but a few great action pieces and the occasional brilliant use of cinematography still fail to elevate Birds of Prey to the status it could have had.


Production Values

If anything, the greatest success of the film other than Margot Robbie's performance is the visual flair given to the action scenes.  When some of those action scenes happen relative to other events might be somewhat confusing for some viewers, though, as the story is told in a non-linear manner, just like that of the first Deadpool movie.  In fact, Harley even breaks the fourth wall twice!  There was no overarching reason to even make the title Birds of Prey, given that Harley is obviously the focus for most of the runtime.  Margot Robbie handles both the action scenes and other parts of her story very well.

Ewan McGregor, who delivered an utterly excellent performance in last year's Doctor Sleep, may not have the most lackluster role in Birds of Prey, but he is certainly squandered to some extent, even if he is the second most notable actor in the movie.  His immense talent is channeled into the very sadistic yet underdeveloped villain Black Mask, a character he portrays as a very over-the-top lover of music and physical art.  The other characters are acted well enough to keep the momentum going, but, as is so often the case, they are not developed very thoroughly.


Story

Spoilers!

Harley Quinn finds herself targeted by an enormous number of people in Gotham City, on both sides of the law, at that, when she loses the Joker's protection after he breaks up with her.  Among those who want her dead is the crime lord Roman Saonis, otherwise known as Black Mask, who wants to reclaim a diamond with information of great value for him.  Harley's attempt to save her life by recovering the diamond after it is swallowed by a young girl puts her in proximity to several other women who are after her or the diamond for their own reasons.


Intellectual Content

There is an unfortunate lack of depth to the film that can easily be avoided in a genre brimming with philosophical ramifications and complex characters.  Although some might pretend otherwise, Birds of Prey is not a movie with "feminist" or egalitarian themes, and Harley herself even makes sexist comments about men several times.  There is nothing intellectually important about almost anything that is said.  This is actually one of the film's biggest weaknesses.

Birds of Prey does not even have the moral center of Deadpool 2--another superhero film about people hunting down a child--at its core.  Not every superhero movie needs to be Wonder Woman, Doctor Strange, Infinity War, or Joker, but some sort of deeper thematic significance would have benefited the film greatly.  Every film that forgoes thematic depth inevitably forfeits a higher degree of thoughtfulness.


Conclusion

Is Birds of Prey the film that will catapult the DCEU as a whole to the realm of consistent excellence?  No.  Does it destroy the foundations of the DCEU that are still being salvaged?  Again, no.  It is simply in between the other works of its respective cinematic universe.  Hopefully Wonder Woman 1984 will be intellectually deeper and possess a far more developed plot and set of characters, but artistically sound fans of the DCEU do not need to worry about Birds of Prey amounting to another Suicide Squad.


Content:
 1.  Violence:  In one scene, Black Mask has a family's faces removed offscreen, but the facial skin of one of the family members is dropped onscreen.  There are multiple times when Harley Quinn breaks someone's legs.  Near the end, someone is blown apart by a grenade as they fall into water, the motion and water obscuring the worst of the gore.
 2.  Profanity:  Words like "shit" are sometimes used, but there are legions of f-bombs in Birds of Prey.