"Birds of Prey": Super-Heroines soar with vibrant action scenes in a fresh, bold all-female flick

If this movie succeeds at doing one thing, it’s showing the world how the comic book movie genre is far from dead; it’s just been revived with copious amounts of glitter, sequins, and bright blues and pinks.

“Birds of Prey” sees Margot Robbie’s Harley Quinn (returning as the only saving grace from 2016’s “Suicide Squad”) fresh off a breakup from the Joker. Now seeking emancipation and newfound purpose, Harley fights her way through Gotham City against goons and vengeful bad guys as her immunity is lost and the number of targets on her back grows higher.

At the top of Harley’s list of vindictive enemies is Roman Sionis, a flamboyant yet mentally unstable crime boss with a passion for masks and fancy attire. Played masterfully and enthusiastically by Ewan MacGregor, Sionis (aka Black Mask) and his crew of villains hunt down Harley as she protects a young pickpocket who stole the crime lord’s fancy new diamond, eventually leading to an all-female team up of other anti-heroines looking for payback against Sionis.

Everyone in the movie seems to be having the time of their lives with Robbie and MacGregor especially giving some of the most amusing performances of their careers. While the rest of the cast succeeds in their roles, the story does not give them enough time or background to fully flesh out their characters. That being said, newcomer Jurnee Smollett-Bell excels with a fresh take on fan-favorite Black Canary, as does Mary Elizabeth Winstead with a comedic and badass performance as “Huntress”. Fun, lively, and welcome additions to the cast, the duo are certainly worthy of a future sequel or spin-off for a streaming series.

Blessed with an R-rating, the action scenes don’t hold back: you can see every kick of a high-heeled boot and each swing of Harley’s baseball bat in its entirety, and the bone-breaking and bruise-forming fight sequences gives this DC film a distinct flavor akin to the “John Wick” franchise. Hand-in-hand with the spectacular action choreography is a vibrant soundtrack and expertly crafted set-design. Whether it’s Harley blasting cops with a glitter-bomb shotgun, roller-skating through a carnival house with an oversized mallet, or bouncing a baseball bat through a blue-and-red smoke screen, the action is new, unique, and an absolute blast to watch on the big screen.

Despite having some of the best and most versatile action in a comic-book movie to date, along with an excellent cast, the movie is certainly flawed. At its core, the film suffers from a script that isn’t as good as it thinks it is. Jumping back and forth in time for a significant portion of the film, the story can sometimes feel jumbled and inconsistent, taking time and emphasis away from the characters’ motivations and background, and trading it for jumps in time to provide for a much-needed action scene or quick-recap on who someone is. Thankfully, the time-jump aspect ends towards the third act, and the story feels more cohesive once all our heroines are together to team up against Sionis and his crew.

Another flaw I must mention is that this is not a movie about the Birds of Prey team from the comics, as it is almost entirely focused on Harley Quinn and her story. While the film does lead towards a team up with all of the famous comic characters and sets up the all-female team for future stories, it is made very obvious from the first act why the title was changed from “Birds of Prey (and the Fantabulous Emancipation of One Harley Quinn)” to a more simple, straightforward title in “Harley Quinn: Birds of Prey”.

Conclusion: While not a perfect movie, “Harley Quinn: Birds of Prey” is a fun, hyperactive watch with both a unique style and “fantabulous” action sequences, making for the perfect chick flick the superhero genre needs right now.

Rating: 7/10.