Warner Bros.
Considering how utterly and thoroughly awful Suicide Squad was, my expectations for Birds of Prey have been about as bottom-barrel as you can imagine.
In fact, despite the fact that Suicide Squad came out back in 2016 (!!!), I still passionately rage tweet and write about Jared Leto’s nightmarish portrayal of Joker every chance I get.
gonna tell my kids this was Jared Leto in Suicide Squad pic.twitter.com/qOotGUzdcZ
— Eric Italiano (@eric_ital) November 21, 2019
So when Warner Bros. announced that they were developing a Birds of Prey movie starring Margot Robbie’s Harley Quinn, needless to say, I was flabbergasted, as I could not wrap my head around why the studio would do anything but bury every character involved with Suicide Squad at the bottom of the deepest and darkest ocean they could find.
Well, naturally, I was wrong, as Warner Bros. not only moved forward with Birds of Prey, but apparently they actually… turned it into a good movie?! What what what?!?
Ahead of next week’s wide release, Birds of Prey has begun screening and the early reactions to the film have been shockingly and overwhelmingly positive thus far:
#BirdsOfPrey has terrific action, humor & some of the more memorable characters we’ve seen in a DC movie, but the biggest highlight is Margot Robbie. She is fantabulous as Harley, while also proving that sometimes our most valued relationships are the ones we have w/ good food pic.twitter.com/EDQ3sr5JtL
— Erik Davis (@ErikDavis) January 29, 2020
https://twitter.com/RogueCheddar/status/1222633033368424448
#BirdsofPrey is a ridiculous and rad superhero film. The fight scenes are phenomenal and the villains are delicious. It shouldn't have taken this long to get the Birds of Prey on film but it was a lot of fun.
— Jill Pantozzi (@JillPantozzi) January 29, 2020
#BirdsOfPrey isn't a Birds of Prey movie so much as it's a Harley Quinn movie feat. BOP – and that creates issues story-wise & in fleshing out characters – but it's a hell of a lot of fun. It's at its best when going full Harley-vision, & Margot Robbie is clearly having a blast. pic.twitter.com/hyF7CpFCmk
— Eric Eisenberg (@eeisenberg) January 29, 2020
This looks and feels so different than any other superhero movie I’ve seen (and I feel like many will say it’s what they wish Suicide Squad had been in execution). Full credit to Cathy Yan for that, it’s clear they had a lot of fun making something so different.
— Terri Schwartz (@Terri_Schwartz) January 29, 2020
The stunts on @birdsofpreywb were INSANE! I’m still in shock after just having seen it and can’t wait to watch it again. It’s quirky, action-packed, AND SO FUN!!! GET YOUR TICKETS ASAP! In theaters Feb. 7 #BirdsofPrey #wbpartner https://t.co/yiT50BvRRj pic.twitter.com/nuW8S5iZzN
— Meghan Camarena (@Strawburry17) January 29, 2020
#BirdsofPrey is delightfully unassuming and unconcerned with its place in a larger context. It's a bonkers bananas crime comedy and a genuine party movie. Everyone is having a blast but Mary Elizabeth Winstead plays Huntress like a supporting character from THE TICK. It rocks. pic.twitter.com/7MRMKkZ0oi
— Scott Mendelson (@ScottMendelson) January 29, 2020
Birds of Prey is a solid breakup movie with a soundtrack that slaps💖
Leagues better than Suicide Squad — in large part because we get a rare glimpse into the rich inner life of a female supervillain (and it actually delivers on what was promised in the trailer.) #BirdsofPrey pic.twitter.com/ibaaHvG6i9
— alison foreman (@alfaforeman) January 29, 2020
Birds of Prey is solid. The unpredictable structure keeps the first half moving and the action boosts the rest. Robbie is excellent, as is McGregor. It’s tamer than expected and the basic story can get lost in the complex setups but it works more often than not. #BirdsofPrey pic.twitter.com/H6TxjiudjI
— Germain Lussier (@GermainLussier) January 29, 2020
Saw #BirdsofPrey this morning! I liked it a lot. The stuff I loved: the action, the tone and just how creative the direction is. Margot Robbie completely sells the incredibly choreographed fight sequences and their gleeful brutality, this whole scene in particular ⬇️⬇️ pic.twitter.com/UBb0FPAa14
— Terri Schwartz (@Terri_Schwartz) January 29, 2020
#BirdsofPrey is a riot – oozing with attitude and some of the most inventive, bone-crunching fight sequences in the superhero genre to date. I went in with low expectations and was pleasantly surprised by how much fun I had. It doesn’t reinvent the wheel, but has style to spare.
— Laura Prudom (@lauraprudom) January 29, 2020
Birds of Prey, which is directed by Cathy Yan, stars Margot Robbie as Harley Quinn, Mary Elizabeth Winstead as Huntress, Jurnee Smollett-Bell as Black Canary, Chris Messina as Victor Zsasz, Ewan McGregor as Black Mask, and Elle Jay Basco as Cassandra Cain. Rosie Perez, Ali Wong, Robert Catrini, Steven Williams, Dana Lee, Francois Chau and Matthew Willig also star.
Birds of Prey (and the Fantabulous Emancipation of One Harley Quinn) hits theaters in the United States next week on Friday, February 7.
***
Eric is a New York City-based writer who still isn’t quite sure how he’s allowed to have this much fun for a living and will tell anyone who listens that Gotham City is canonically in New Jersey. Follow him on Twitter @eric_ital for movie and soccer takes or contact him eric@brobible.com