Spoilers ahead!
Four years ago, a little movie about a bunch of terrible people teaming up to save the world came out, titled “Suicide Squad.” Unfortunately, it didn’t do too well in the box office. Despite its initial flop, the film inspired a need for a more well-liked DC villain. After a couple of years fighting for the character to shine in her own movie, Margot Robbie got to bring Harley Quinn to the big screen again in “Birds of Prey: And the Fantablous Emancipation of One Harley Quinn.” So, does the film live up to the hype?
Short answer… Hell yeah!
“Birds of Prey” follows the story of Harley Quinn dealing with her break up with the Joker, which is portrayed very realistically. She deals with the pain of losing someone so close to her, someone who many people think that she needs to rely on in order to stay sane, in the most explosive and colorful way (by literally blowing up the chemical plant where their love began). And ever since their breakup, Harley’s got a big target on her back and every mercenary in Gotham wants a cut of the money. When a pickpocket (Cassandra Cain) steals a diamond holding the secret to a huge fortune, Harley assembles an unlikely team in order to save the girl while getting her own life together.
This movie is a mix of two things: a Birds of Prey origin story and a Harley Quinn movie. This is the first time that we meet the Birds of Prey: Huntress, Black Canary and Renee Montoya; and as an original story, it could have been better. However, the movie as a whole is a fast-paced girl power movie that hits all the right bases. How Harley deals with her breakup is very realistic for someone who had been reliant on the Joker’s abuse for so long. Harley’s starting to realize her worth, slowly but surely (sequel anyone?). This movie was an event — and all the colors and the soundtrack made the experience ten times better.