Let me just say this right up front: I liked Suicide Squad. I liked the pace, the characters, the screen writing, and most of all, I liked Margot Robbie's exuberant badassery as Harley Quinn. Robbie's got a golden touch and such undeniable charisma - a presence rarely seen in today's starlets - I'd give a film a chance just to enjoy Robbie's talent. Despite my annoyance with woke cinema, and my utter reluctance to see distaff reboots of B-list efforts, I'd been looking forward to Birds of Prey. It wasn't because the trailer was particularly appealing; it wasn't. It wasn't because I love every super-hero and super-villain film around; I don't. It's because of the potential to do great things with the Harley Quinn / Margot Robbie winning ticket.
The film opened in theaters just three days ago. Not one to enjoy crowds, I waited until this afternoon - a Monday - in hopes of a quiet venue at the Imax. It was, in fact, so quiet that my friend and I had the theater to ourselves other than two other women who, as luck would have it, were actually sitting in the two exact seats my friend and I selected (even though the other two gals bought their tickets and selected their seats first). Go figure. In this near-empty theater, the four of us sat in a knot and waited through an exhaustively long preview for another film before Birds of Prey (and the Fantabulous Emancipation of One Harley Quinn) opened.
I opted not to read anyone's review prior to the film; so often reviews are much of the same refrain. I couldn't tell you if critics liked it or not. As for me, I give it two baseball bats up. Despite the frenetic jump-cut pace, the beginning scenes were tedious enough, but as the film warmed up and the plot solidified, I warmed up to the film as well. It's a fun film, humor-filled and visually a treat. The cast, from Margot Robbie to Ewan McGregor, was capable, with Rosie Perez as the tough-as-nails perpetually-underappreciated detective, and Mary Elizabeth Winstead as "the Huntress" deserving special mention. Robbie, of course, steals the show in every appearance. As an especially physical actress, she uses her body to command the scenes much as Johnny Depp does in his productions. She's simply great fun to watch.
In film, just as with literature, I appreciate allusions to other works. References to Reservoir Dogs were clear in Birds of Prey: the villain, Ewan McGregor's Roman Sionis, had a half-dancing way of moving that called back to Michael Madsen's twisted Mr. Blonde, and the famous three-way standoff of Dogs is re-created in Birds. Glimpses of The Warriors shine through at times, and shades of buddy-squad films such as The Magnificent Seven are perhaps present. Yet despite these and other references to past films, Birds of Prey has its own distinctive style and approach. Much of it has to do with the "woman's touch" in the production. Written by Christina Hodson, directed by Cathy Yan, and starring an all-woman squad of badass criminals and crime-fighters, the film does a largely admirable job of presenting uniquely female motivations and plot lines. These aren't just women chosen for their physical beauty; some, such as Rosie Perez's character, are surprisingly relatable. They kick ass when fighting, but in some beautifully gymnastic ways, choreographed well to highlight agility and legginess.
The soundtrack features female musicians and female-themed songs throughout. Paying homage to rockers like Joan Jett and Pat Benatar, the music is as capably done as the soundtrack to Deadpool. Nothing is lost by the emphasis on female characters, plot lines, or contributors to the film. It's no Ghostbusters on estrogen, nor is it simply a wokey-wokey version of The Avengers. However, it does slip into heavy-handedness in one jarringly unnecessary line: Ellen Jay Basco's Cassandra Cain, aka "the kid," painfully blurts out something to the effect of, "You're not the only one making money off dumb white men." How refreshing it would have been to watch a newer film that, just once, doesn't bask in the "white men evil" fad. The film is good enough on its own merits that it doesn't need to call on tired female empowerment / male toxicity standbys. The diverse cast is a success because they're good entertainers, not because they're diverse; they stand on their own, with perhaps the exception of Basco. Given a relatively ineffectual character to play, Basco isn't charismatic enough or skillful enough at delivering her lines to make the "kid" sympathetic.
It's a shame the film played to such an empty theater. It deserves better. Far better than Suicide Squad, perhaps it's tainted by association with that generally ill-received film. It offers satisfying fight scenes, likable characters, hatable villains, a tolerable story line, plenty of pyrotechnics, and a soundtrack that'll keep you wanting to rock long after the lights come on. Most of all, it has the hyper-talented Margot Robbie as the hyper-charming Harley Quinn. It doesn't take itself too seriously, and for high-energy escapism, you won't go away disappointed.
