“Birds of Prey” Review by Brooke Daugherty : Pop Culture Leftovers

“Birds of Prey” Review by Brooke Daugherty

March 29, 2020 2:03 pm |

DISCLAIMER: If you are prone to annoyance or anger when confronted with strong women, please pass on reading. Neither Rotten Tomatoes, Pop Culture Leftovers, nor the reviewer can be held responsible for your reaction to this review. All opinions are the writer’s and any feelings of being called out are on you.

The writer, director, and ⅔ producers are women in this film. Screenwriter Christina Hodson’s last film was Bumblebee, another great film that veered from the previous versions of the property. She is slated to write The Flash solo film and honestly, I’m not mad about it. Director Cathy Yan hasn’t directed anything high profile, but being a Chinese-American woman, it’s easy to imagine she didn’t have a lot of opportunities. Here she shines with creative shots to make the same old comic book movie interesting. Her choices were integral to the story telling in this film.

The music was ON POINT. All the songs were performed by women. Even songs made famous by the likes of Barry White and James Brown were sung by women. Speaking of James Brown, Jurnee Smollet-Bell sings “A Man’s World” as Black Canary and it couldn’t have been more appropriate. Unlike several other comic book movies, the music selection and placement were all perfect.

This isn’t a typical team up movie. We see Harley Quinn (Margot Robbie), Huntress (Mary Elizabeth Winstead), Black Canary (Jurnee Smollet-Bell), and Renee Montoya (Rosie Perez) in their own stories, occasionally intertwined until they come together in the third act. Harley narrates the main story and she recaps her life while a cartoon illustrates her voice over. The fight choreography is awesome, with the women getting just as beat up as the men. Sure, they more than hold their own, but (a.) It’s their movie (b.) women are forever underestimated, by men in particular.

I had fun watching Suicide Squad until the disappointment sent in. Disappointment of characters, music choices, and most of all, the ignored potential to be an awesome movie. Birds Of Prey (And The Fantabulous Emancipation of Harley Quinn) DID NOT disappoint. It had everything I wanted in Suicide Squad. Talented women were all over this film and it showed. By that I mean, the film was well done and the female protagonists are believable in their vulnerability, not necessarily their mercenary skills. I want to talk about this movie so much, but I don’t want to give away anything either. Go see this movie in theaters. Chances are you won’t be disappointed.

PCL Rating: Tupperware

Rotten Tomatoes Rating: FRESH