Margot Robbie has been killing it recently. The actor was nominated for an Oscar at the 2020 Academy Awards for her role in Bombshell as well as giving Sharon Tate a new life and image through Robbie’s portrayal of the starlet in Once Upon a Time… in Hollywood. Most recently, Robbie’s new movie Birds of Prey (and the Fantabulous Emancipation of One Harley Quinn)—which has been shortened to just Harley Quinn: Birds of Prey—was released on February 7th, 2020. Robbie served as a producer on the film as well as reprising her role as Harley Quinn.
Birds of Prey follows Harley Quinn after her breakup with the Joker, who gave her a kind of immunity around Gotham City. Now that she and the Joker have split, lots of people are ready to go after the newly liberated Harley Quinn. Meanwhile, the villain of the movie Black Mask, played by Ewan McGregor, is looking for a diamond that can lead him to a family fortune. The diamond falls into the hand of a young pickpocket, named Cassandra Cain, who ends up teaming up with Harley Quinn.
I had not seen Suicide Squad, the previous film that Robbie portayed Harley Quinn, before I saw this movie. Otherwise, I like most of the movies revolving around Batman and those characters and I love Harley Quinn’s character in Batman: The Animated Series. I was really excited going into this movie because it is both written and directed by women and it has an awesome leading cast that is mostly women. I had heard great things about Margot Robbie’s version of Harley Quinn, so I was looking forward to seeing her in her own movie.
Birds of Prey was totally absurd, but in the best way possible. It was entertaining, funny, and most of all very colorful. I really liked how Harley Quinn was telling the story. I thought it made it authentic to her narration that she jumped around through different parts of the story, which kept it from being too dull or ordinary. (Ordinary is the last word I would use to describe Birds of Prey). It was one of the most fun movies that I have seen in a while and Margot Robbie really gave this role her all. She plays Harley Quinn so well that I have to remind myself that this is the same woman who I saw wonderfully portraying Sharon Tate earlier this year. It really shows the range that Robbie has as an actress.
Birds of Prey stands completely strong without any knowledge of Suicide Squad. The whole movie revolves around Harley Quinn’s independence from the Joker, which also correlates with Birds of Prey being independent from Suicide Squad. Harley Quinn narrates the story for Birds of Prey, and during her storytelling she gives her backstory to what happened to her in case the audience is unaware of her beginnings, from Dr. Harleen Quinzel to the much crazier Harley Quinn.
Birds of Prey was so much fun because it didn’t take itself too seriously. It shined with great female roles, both in front of and behind the camera, and gave Margot Robbie’s version of Harley Quinn her own limelight.