Birds of Prey Birds of Prey User Reviews and Ratings Thread

TheGuy

TheGuy

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Thread title.
 
I will keep this as spoiler free as possible. (and will tag spoilers)

I LOVED THIS FRIGGIN FILM! From the word jump it is a balls to the ball bonanza that is only topped in absurdity and fun by Aquaman. Yes it is a Harley film first so the Birds do take a back seat but this is the perfect vehicle to be a launching pad for them into their own film. Robbie kills it on a level I was not expecting and I had pretty high expectations. Ewan is so hilariously over the top I honestly enjoyed him more than anyone not named Harley and that is saying something.

The story is a bit hit or miss, but pretty standard fare for a comic book film. What makes it all work though is how frantic the story goes because it is told from Harley's point of view. I mean she literally narrates the film and has to back up her own story multiple times when she realizes she sipped large portions. And despite it sounding annoying, it honestly makes you laugh because of the way the film presents it. The director found a way to take what should have been eye roll inducing and make you love it and beg for more. Add in that Margot is about as charming as anyone on screen and it just works. Like Jason Momoa in Aquaman doing stuff that normally makes us cringe, they just have a charisma and style that makes you love it.

What really kills it though is the final act of this film. Even if you hate the first 2/3 of the film the last act is pure cocaine up your nose. Watching the Birds fight a legion of bad guys non-stop for like 5 straight minutes (and according to Gail Simone all the actresses doing their own stunts in said scene) was ridiculous. It is easily one of my favorite fight scenes in any CBM. The way they fight together, the way they play off each other and the fun they have doing just bonkers stuff is pure joy.

Now I knew I would likely like the film. (not love it like I did) The buddy I took was beyond skeptical and he was in tears and applauding by the end! I have been to dozens of sneak previews and fan events over the years including some of the bigger genre ones and I have never felt the visceral reaction from a crowd as I did at this film. Men, women, old, young, costumed or not EVERYONE was hooting and hollering and cheering! It felt like a concert, not a movie, the vibe was just fun and excitement.

As I said in the other thread 10/10. Not because it is the best comic film ever, but it might just be the most authentic and I am not sure I have ever had that much fun with a character I dont have much history with. I cant wait for the spinoffs, and there is little chance they dont happen now.
 
Wow I was really surprised with this film! It's really really really good!!! Loved it so much and I hope it gets the praise and money it deserves!
 
I thought Margot Robbie was terrible in Suicide Squad, but she's great here. Feels like a really fleshed out performance. Really well shot and the action was just ****ing awesome, a lot of great coverage and editing. Ewan was probably the best part, he's so entertaining as Sionis - my favorite super villain in a while
 
5.5-6

Will write a review later.

Best part: Margot Robbie
Weakest part: Writing
 
dhandler01 said:
I will keep this as spoiler free as possible. (and will tag spoilers)

I LOVED THIS FRIGGIN FILM! From the word jump it is a balls to the ball bonanza that is only topped in absurdity and fun by Aquaman. Yes it is a Harley film first so the Birds do take a back seat but this is the perfect vehicle to be a launching pad for them into their own film. Robbie kills it on a level I was not expecting and I had pretty high expectations. Ewan is so hilariously over the top I honestly enjoyed him more than anyone not named Harley and that is saying something.

The story is a bit hit or miss, but pretty standard fare for a comic book film. What makes it all work though is how frantic the story goes because it is told from Harley's point of view. I mean she literally narrates the film and has to back up her own story multiple times when she realizes she sipped large portions. And despite it sounding annoying, it honestly makes you laugh because of the way the film presents it. The director found a way to take what should have been eye roll inducing and make you love it and beg for more. Add in that Margot is about as charming as anyone on screen and it just works. Like Jason Momoa in Aquaman doing stuff that normally makes us cringe, they just have a charisma and style that makes you love it.

What really kills it though is the final act of this film. Even if you hate the first 2/3 of the film the last act is pure cocaine up your nose. Watching the Birds fight a legion of bad guys non-stop for like 5 straight minutes (and according to Gail Simone all the actresses doing their own stunts in said scene) was ridiculous. It is easily one of my favorite fight scenes in any CBM. The way they fight together, the way they play off each other and the fun they have doing just bonkers stuff is pure joy.

Now I knew I would likely like the film. (not love it like I did) The buddy I took was beyond skeptical and he was in tears and applauding by the end! I have been to dozens of sneak previews and fan events over the years including some of the bigger genre ones and I have never felt the visceral reaction from a crowd as I did at this film. Men, women, old, young, costumed or not EVERYONE was hooting and hollering and cheering! It felt like a concert, not a movie, the vibe was just fun and excitement.

As I said in the other thread 10/10. Not because it is the best comic film ever, but it might just be the most authentic and I am not sure I have ever had that much fun with a character I dont have much history with. I cant wait for the spinoffs, and there is little chance they dont happen now.
Click to expand...

All I needed to hear. “Pure cocaine up your nose” is how I like my DC movies.
 
The fight choreography is some of the best you will see. I mean the Precinct Assault and the Final Battle are the stuff people have been begging for since I started reading boards like this. It is the type of stuff you would see in say Justice League Unlimited only in live action. And what is great is it ebbs and flows, the characters each take a break (for a specific reason) and they play to each other's strengths not in a forced way (since they barely know each other) but in a logical way that flows well.

Plus it isnt like when say Batman fights 12 thugs and they come at him 1 or 2 at a time while the rest stand around watching...a dozen walk in the room and go full bore from the beginning and every time you think it is over a few more show up. And then just when you think the Final act is over there is a chase scene and a final showdown.

It is like a rollercoaster ride...and it isnt disaster porn or overdone Matrix Reloaded style stuff...it is exactly what you would expect from say a Bruce Timm fight where Black Mask puts a bounty out and gets half the Gotham Underworld to show up to collect. (and kill the rest) Yes parts are played for laughs, but that is because Harley is for all intents and purposes a Looney Tunes character
It is hilarious when she randomly shows up on skates in the fight and I think Huntress points it out because it is just random
running around Gotham City.

I think they handled the fact that this was a sequel to Suicide Squad well. And dont let people tell you otherwise it is. She re-tells her origin with the very scene from SS being played. (minus showing Leto's face) She blows up Ace Chemical because that is where she became Harley and got together with Joker. She references being taken down by Batman. She points out how she knows Boomerang from the picture of Jai Courtney as the character on the wall at the GCPD. This film takes place in the DCEU proper just like Shazam does. Much like Shazam though it makes the references vague enough that it doesnt matter, it is just there as cheap world building and Easter Eggs. Since they didnt show Batfleck they can have any Batman show up and face her and it will work...with her probably mentioning he looks younger and smaller ;)

Also I think it was smart not having a post credit scene...just having Harley mock everyone for staying til the end of the credits and then almost telling us Batman is Bruce Wayne. (she only gets out half the sentence) I think it would be pretty awesome if she knows. She shows she is still quite smart and can read people well throughout the film so her figuring it out because she is both a PHD and a Psychopath would be pretty clever. Or...they just did it to make us laugh which works as well :)
 
While the film was not perfect, it was very enjoyable! I loved the animated opening. I loved how it did what Suicide Squad tried to do and did it properly (the shots writing out the players in this film). Margot was great in this and so was the rest of them.
The police station fight was probably one of my favorite scenes in the movie. It felt very comic book-ish while also feeling like the animated series.
I really hope this gets a sequel so we can see how they take this and perfect it even more!
 
Saw this today and it exceeded my expectations, very entertaining movie. Right now, I'd rate it at solid 8/10.

I will post a detailed review later.
 
Somewhere between 5-6/10. Honestly reminds me Shazam: great concept but weak script. And needed much much more of Huntress, Black Mask and Zsasz and less of Harley. I understand that this movie happened because of Robbie and if they follow up with GCS then its gonna become another Harley show but shes not a good lead character. Maybe it could have worked better if they made Mad Love before but then you have Letoker... Overall better than Squad, Justice League a most parts of BvS.
 
6. I enjoyed the performances with McGregor being the absolute highlight. I thought Robbie was good (although forced at times) and Winstead (effortlessly cool and funny in her minor role). But the writing was pretty bad, often playing out like one of the many Tarantino-lite films from the mid to late '90s which thought edgy was throwing in a few redundant curse words. Also, the fight scenes were so obviously sped up like a bad Western from the '40s that it really took me out of the film.
 
I was impressed with Margot's Bat swinging ability, the fight scenes were very well choreographed and looked visceral.

At some other times, the fight scenes felt slapstick and cartoonish, but the good fight scenes were so good that I can just forgive a few bad ones.
 
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Now that was fun. Margot is undeniably Harley and Ewan was a blast to watch. Also bar none this movie contains the best action sequences of the entire DCEU because it just feels more practical and real than the CGI and slo-mo slugfests that have permeated the universe so far. However, if there's one criticism its that as much as I like Huntress and Black Canary I feel they could've just made this a movie about Harley versus everyone who wants to kill her and this may have been a tighter narrative. The script is admittedly not great but everything else was right up my alley that I came out very satisfied.

While objectively speaking I think that Wonder Woman and Shazam are better films, I feel like BOP is going to be far more rewatchable because of Harley and Roman's wackiness and the action.
 
Saw it last night, really enjoyed it. Very quirky, action scenes were great and I loved most of the characters. Huntress been my favourite, only character I wasn’t keen on the was Zsaz, don’t know quite what it was but I just found him irritating.

I’m a rare person who enjoys all of the DCEU movies. So despite enjoying BOP I didn’t love it and it’s last in my ranking. But it’s a ranking where I like every movie, no duds for me.

7/10
 
I give it a solid 8. Real crowd pleaser of a movie and I enjoyed seeing this corner of the DCEU built out. Yan certainly brought her own style to this. It's most definitely a follow-up to Suicide Squad and builds on where Harley ended in that movie. Action sequences were badass, though I'd expect nothing less when you've got folks from John Wick involved. Enjoyed the decision to have Harley as the narrator and the fourth wall breaking is done in a way where it's not 100 percent like Deadpool because every time she narrates, it's not like she's talking to the camera. But there was one moment in particular that echoed a particular fourth wall break in Deadpool.

As for the supporting cast, enjoyed everyone and it was fun to see McGregor go from fun to sinister often as Black Mask. It feels like what we probably would've gotten from Leto's Joker were he in that film more as David Ayer intended.

Standout performance for me had to be Jurnee Smollett-Bell as Dinah. She had one of the biggest F yeah moments in the film with my theater. Pretty sure you all know what moment I'm talking about. But yes, solid fun flick and I would definitely love to see not just Cathy Yan do another DCEU film dealing with these characters, but just seeing more of this corner of the DCEU in general because there's a lot of potential to go further.
 
Sho5SVO.jpg

A ★★★½ review of Birds of Prey (and the Fantabulous Emancipation of One Harley Quinn) (2020)

A carnival ride of a comic book movie that only exist to have fun... much in the same vein as Deadpool. It takes the foundation of what David Ayer was trying to do with Suicide Squad and elevate it to a much more cartoony and comic style under a female perspective. The director Cathy Yan delivers a really colorful and vibrate film that has a lot of things going on that all ultimately work together. It also helps the editing and focus was way more competent even though they play with time one too many times.

I will say despite the title, this is definitely Harley Quinn's movie featuring the Birds of Prey and Margot Robbie is clearly the main star. As for story, they pretty much took the Harley's Holiday episode from Batman TAS and molded it around Birds of Prey. The cast was pretty solid for the most part. Margot Robbie was clearly having a blast making this and she captured Harley Quinn from the show pretty well. I also like how creative they were with addressing the elephant in the room (aka Leto's Joker). I really dug Ewan Mcgregor as Black Mask, he was hamming it up like Shatner and Gary Oldman.

Mary Elizabeth Winstead as Helena Bertinelli probably had the best underrated performance. She wasn't given a whole lot of screen time, but she was great every time she showed up. Jurnee Smollett-Bell did fine as Black Canary, although they definitely depowered her abilities for plot conveniences. Rosie Perez also did fine as Renee Montoya, although they don't really give her a lot to do. As for Ella Jay Basco as Cassandra Cain... as much as I enjoyed her performance and how well she's integral to the plot, she's Cass Cain in name only. Also there's a surprise Ali Wong supporting role that caught me by surprise.

Overall, despite some issues I have with it, it's ultimately a solid fun movie that isn't meant to be super dramatic in a world saving plot. This along with Shazam! is exactly what DC needs right now.
3.5/5
 
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This was a lot of fun. The story was a little...erratic. But Margot and Mcgregor make the film. Its a high octane action film thats rarely ever boring or quiet. For me the police station action sequence was the highlight, a lot of visceral stylistically choreographed action that should please audiences.

And i gotta say Margot really really grew into this role and won me over. I liked her in Suicide Squad but I wasnt sure i was going to be able to tolerate a whole movie about her and the trailers werent doing her any favors. But she really slips into the role like warm glove. And Mcgregor, oooh MAN was he having fun playing Black Mask. I couldnt get enough of him.

not the best thing in the word but a solid fun DC film. Kinda what Suicide Squad should have been.

7.5/10
 
It's not perfect, but I liked it. It's fun, and scratches that itch for more street level Gotham material I've been wanting to see instead of just the big events. Most of the cast is quite good, though some (Mary Elizabeth Winstead in particular) feel underutilized. I quite like where they position them all, it felt like it helped keep a well-worn plot from getting dull. Black Mask was a fun villain, and had the line that really got me laughing. The thing that bugged me the most though was Montoya. From a fan perspective, this just isn't really a take on the character that appealed to me, and for some reason Perez never really clicked for me in the role even when divorced from that element. On the whole though, I liked it. It's nice to have something with low stakes, and it hit the spot for the kind of content I had been looking for. I think I'll enjoy it more at home though, as the audience was very distracting for this one.
 
I’m not a big Harley fan, so I went into this movie judging it as a Batman-adjacent film.

8/10.

It was like Batman: The Animated Series with a lot more F bombs and a lot more blood.

Definitely ranks in the upper echelon of Batman films. Loved Canary and Huntress. Black Mask was not dissimilar to his character in the comics, just a bit more over the top.
 
9/10 Great flick. I really hope the box office picks up next week from word of mouth.

Such a fun movie. Probably the best of the DCEU proper (not including Joker).

DC has been bringing it up a notch lately. Legitimately excited for WW84 now. And The Batman and hopefully a Gotham City Sirens with Zoe Kravitz' Selina and Harley! :D
 
I hope they continue Harley's character progression next year with James Gunn's "The Suicide Squad", Harley has some important role in it.

Also, if there's no sequel to this, I would like Huntress and Black Canary to appear in some other DC movie with street-level action.

Edit: Could be a good idea to introduce Green Arrow now with Black Canary and Huntress. Maybe even bring back Katana (Karen Fukuhara).
 
Fun, enjoyable film with good fight scenes....but if you're a hardcore DC fanatic and wanted justice done to these characters, then you're barking up the wrong tree. Harley outshines everyone of course, but ooph...Black Canary, Black Mask, Cassandra, Montoya, and even Zsasz...honestly don't care where their characters go now.
 
Micromind said:
I hope they continue Harley's character progression next year with James Gunn's "The Suicide Squad", Harley has some important role in it.

Also, if there's no sequel to this, I would like Huntress and Black Canary to appear in some other DC movie with street-level action.

Edit: Could be a good idea to introduce Green Arrow now with Black Canary and Huntress. Maybe even bring back Katana (Karen Fukuhara).
Click to expand...

Looked like they were going bop proper next time with Oracle before getting to Arrow and BC, but will be tough to get a bop proper now, I think Harley and Ivy is still on or GCS, and if it’s still a go then they take on bop next, but BC might have to get Oliver to help to have any spin off potential, and that’d cause another s***storm from the two side’s extremists...

Pretty annoying that we might end up with a GCS team minus Selina, and BOP team minus Batgirl proper.

Matt Reeves’ needs to be more of team player, hopefully he obliges....at least after he set up these characters....but I feel with Margot hinting Oracle specifically, Reeves is not interested.
 
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