Harley Quinn: Birds of Prey is DC entertainment's latest effort to conquer the territory of film-adapted comics, a different effort with a really interesting idea at its base. Making Harley Quinn the main character in your own movie after shining on the terrible Suicide Squad makes perfect sense, ridding her of the Joker’s abusive control makes the idea even more interesting (although I’m of the opinion that Joker should have been the great villain of this film).
Sometime after the events of Suicide Squad, and after ending his relationship with the Joker, Quinn breaks up with the factory where he gave himself up to his former crush, announcing to Gotham the whole time that he was no longer under the protection of the feared Crime Clown . Of course, in doing so, Quinn makes herself a target to shoot down, due to all the evil she had done in the past, inspiring the villain Roman Sionis (played by an eccentric Ewan McGregor) to chase her, that and a missing diamond causes Harley to cross paths with the group of women whose title the film refers to.
I would say that the biggest problem with Harley Quinn: Birds of Prey is the combination of several elements that do not always make the most sense. There are times when the film seems to want to put Harley in the midst of a new team such a Suicide Squad, other times when it is only concerned with focusing on it, as if it were trying to follow a plot in which, in the end, it would face Joker (Since Joker doesn't even make any appearance in the film, being replaced by Roman Sionis).
In my opinion, Harley Quinn: Birds of Prey doesn't really know what he wants to be, and I can't help feeling that Joker was supposed to be part of the film, but due to the drama with the negative reception of Jared Leto's interpretation, it was excluded completely from the project. However, McGregor's interpretation gives Ronan Sionis an aura of threat, of terror, as he really seems to be dangerous and we still feel his ferocity emanating from the screen.
That said, all the interpretations are really excellent, Margot Robbie is enthusiastic on paper, her character is highly memorable and the only one in the film that is really 100% developed. Mary Elizabeth Winstead is incredible in the role of Huntress, despite the little material given to her, and brings a natural charisma to the character that makes her really special, without her this would be an easily forgotten character. Jurnee Smollett-Bell as Canary is also extremely convincing, and brings to the paper a special magnetism that leaves it as one of the most memorable parts of the film.
Harley Quinn: Birds of Prey, on the whole, is not a bad film, although thematically confusing, it is extremely fun and will certainly get a lot of laughs from the audience. Again, Harley Quinn is also the piece that really makes this project so unique, and seeing it on the screen is something that will leave any audience member with a smile on their face.
It is also important to note that the film contains incredibly well choreographed action sequences, which become a visual delight as they become crazier. Their performance is delusional and fiery, as in the rest of the film, giving it a very extravagant and remarkable style.
So, while Harley Quinn: Birds of Prey is no Wonder Woman (2017) and contains a host of problems, it's also extremely fun, a good time spent in the cinema without the obligation to think about the general problems of life. I can't say that I loved the movie, but I didn't hate it either, it's a decent guilty pleasure and a decent hour spent in front of the big screen.
