The COVID Era Super-Action Movie Everyone Missed, And Why It Should Be Streamed Now

Cute and silly, fast-paced and fun, Birds of Prey leans more than expected from its R-rating. All for the good.

By Brent McKnight | Published 4 seconds ago

Even die-hard fans tend to agree Suicide Squad chaos. This makes sense when, after the fact, we hear stories of big studio meddling, lots of editing, and all kinds of meddling. However, one of the high points is that it introduced us to the birth of Margot Robbie's Harley Quinn.

An amazing burst of chaotic energy as part of the group, he returned to try his hand at directing the film himself to director Cathy Yan. Birds of Prey: And the Amazing Redemption of One Harley Quinn. It's a good time. Funny and funny, fast and fun, Birds of Prey is more dependent than expected on its R estimate. All for the good.

Harley Quinn Needs to Get Herself Right

After the previous events, Harley Quinn needs to fix herself. A big part of this means breaking up with her longtime lover, the Joker. Let's just say, maybe he's not emotionally equipped to deal with a breakup in a rational, healthy way, and his way of dealing with self-doubt and disappointment and rejection is incredibly out of whack.

One of the biggest problems of this release is that Harley is no longer immune to her encounter with Mr. J. who gave it to him. As a result, many, many, many teams that have mistreated them over the years have come out of the woodwork to find a place to restore. Chief among these is crime boss Roman Sionis (Ewan McGregor), aka Black Mask, and his sidekick/life partner Victor Zsasz (Chris Messina).

Building Birds of Prey

Through a series of coordinated events and the desire to protect herself, Harley forms an alliance with a group of other women including Renee Montoya (Rosie Perez), Huntress (Mary Elizabeth Winstead), Dinah Lance (Jurnee Smollett-Bell), better known as Black Canary, and young pickpocket Cassandra Cain (Ella Jay Basco).

The layout of Birds of Prey it basically acts as a moving mass to push these women together. Each was corrupted and marginalized in his own way. No one sees Harley as anything more than a sidekick to be tolerated. Montoya starts out as a cop, only to be, time and time again, passed over for a promotion, his ideas ignored or stolen by the men around him, and he's never seen as his equal. An adopted child lost and forgotten by the system, Cassandra does what she has to do to survive. Stuck in a thankless job, Dina's bosses only use what they know. Huntress has her own reasons for revenge and has issues with people taking her seriously.

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Their chemistry is contradictory and related as they see it over time Birds of Prey that they need to work together. Harley is fickle and crazy, but also incredibly sincere and heartfelt, with an undying love of breakfast sandwiches. Robbie has an absolute blast in front of the picture.

Montoya is a tough, blunt detective, but Perez brings a world-shifting weariness and palpable frustration to the glass ceiling above. Basco and Smollett-Bell are strong and funny. Everyone gets enough to do, and no one feels shortchanged or flat.

However, while the others are good, Winstead gets the MVP trophy. The Hunter may be a leather-clad badass who tears through the city on a roid-infused motorcycle, but he's also dealing with deep-seated abuse that's left him fueled by rage and emotionally crippled. He's not good, and his social ineptitude leads to some of the best parts of the movie.

McGregor and Messina are the perfect villains and foils, who manage to be comic book and truly terrifying at the same time. McGregor steps in first as a scene-chewing bad guy, very bright and blood-curdling. Messina plays Zsasz almost as crazy as Harley—she'll wipe your face and giggle with friendly glee the entire time. These two are incredibly versatile, power-hungry and ruthless, but also loyal and loving.

Where Birds of Prey Go Wrong

Birds of Prey it has a few narrative hiccups. Several times early on, Christina Hodson's script pulls the “Just a minute, let's rewind” trick to introduce key players. Although it was difficult at first, that disappears after the first act.

From there, the film does a solid job of balancing the various threads and arcs—we never lose sight of anyone with any important aspect. Even the speedbumps are very small, and the fast pace and fast tempo get us through without stumbling.

John Wick Level Fight Scenes?

Action on A bird of prey it's strong and coherent, better than most superhero movies with half the budget of its counterparts. Since the movie doesn't usually deal with superheroes, it's also one of the most grounded and realistic DC movies.

Yan brought in a team from 87eleven Action Design, a company founded by Chad Stahelski and David Leitch—the filmmakers behind it. John Wickamong many other notable movies—and plays. As a result, complex battle sequences are carefully planned and tightly planned.

Because it's a reality-based action genre, these scenes never degenerate into muddy, CGI-heavy bodies where bodies move and look like video game cutscenes—a problem that plagues many superhero movies. Even when the climactic chase ramps things up to bonkers levels, there remains an edge of realism and performance that sells itself in the world Birds of Prey even more.

Rated R and Proud

Thanks for rating R, Birds of Prey he never shies away from violence or profanity. Yan and company balance bubble-gum pop aesthetics with raw, visceral violence. They certainly aren't afraid to break a few bones or crack a dirty joke, which only adds to the team.

Not all movies need to appear in the same template or play out as the next chapter in a larger story. There is a place for black and red, as it were Batman v Supermanand the spectacle of bug-nuts Aquaman. We can have a gray wash at one time and a Day-Glo eye blast at the next, and each has its place in stories that play on the power of space.

That's what Birds of Prey does best, it knows what it's about and goes for it. Harley is chaotic and violent but she also has a Ph.D., two things that stand out. This is a story of broken hearts and broken bones, female friendships and relationships through shared struggles, crazy action and honest communication. Above all, it's a good time.

FOOD BIRDS UPDATE THE RESULT

Birds of Prey is available to stream for free on Max for subscribers and is available to rent on other streaming platforms.