When the Joker ends things with Harley Quinn, all bets are off. That’s right, Harley is officially on her own, and that can only mean trouble for everyone around her. Harley must find a way to navigate her new paradigm with a little help from some unexpected allies in Birds of Prey (and the Fantabulous Emancipation of One Harley Quinn)…or if you are seeing it after opening weekend, the newly re-titled Harley Quinn: Birds of Prey.

Without diving too deep into the plot, Harley Quinn was always off limits due to her relationship with the Joker. When that relationship officially ends, the people she managed to wrong along the way decide that it is time to get even. One of those people happens to be Roman Sionis (a.k.a. Black Mask), a gangster/nightclub owner who is attempting to make a name for himself and take over organized crime in Gotham. If that weren’t enough, her actions have caught the attention of the Gotham City Police Department, namely that of Detective Renee Montoya. Montoya has aspirations of taking down Sionis, but those dreams come crashing down when Harley gets in her way. Now with the police and various killers out for blood, Harley must traverse the city, find a certain kid who has gotten herself into trouble, and make it out alive. Oh, and did I forget to mention that she also has to deal with Black Canary and Huntress?

While “Birds of Prey” is in the title, the movie truly centers around Harley Quinn and Black Mask, with all other characters relegated to a secondary role. Margot Robbie delivers a much more entertaining performance of Harley in this endeavor, sticking closer to her comic book persona and off the wall antics. She managed to lead the ensemble cast well, providing an unexpected leader who was annoying yet sympathetic. Ewan McGregor’s Black Mask was as good everyone was hoping, as he pulled off a very unique take on the Gotham City villain. His performance added a level of depth that we really hadn’t seen in most of the DCEU films, and it was great to see the creative team shake things up with a different type of villain. Jurnee Smollett-Bell channeled her inner Dinah Lance and brought a stellar version of the Black Canary to the big screen. Leveraging the character’s more recent musical performance elements from the comics led to some more stunning moments in the film, and her action sequences were top notch as well. Mary Elizabeth Winstead joined the fray as the crossbow wielding Huntress, living up to the source material with complete perfection. Helena is a troubled character out for revenge, and Winstead proved to be the right woman for the job. I truly loved the interactions between her and Smollett-Bell, and I can’t wait to see them continue in their respective roles. Ella Jay Basco portrayed Cassandra Cain, a troubled teen with a penchant for trouble. This depiction of Cain heavily deviated from the comic version, but Basco managed to steal every scene with her humor and comedic timing.  Rosie Perez rounded out the cast as Renee Montoya, the GCPD Detective who just can’t catch a break. While her character manages to evolve over the film, this version of Montoya was a bit of a let down compared to the entertaining character from the comic. Just to clarify, I’m not criticizing Perez’s performance at all, but I feel the writing let down her character some in this story.

One of the most surprising aspects of the film was how hard DC leaned into the R Rating. The action was intense, shocking, and downright brutal at times. The swearing was off the charts and I think Harley could give Deadpool a run for his money. The film maintained a heavily stylized aesthetic, channeling some of the more off-the-walls craziness that Harley is best known for. The frenetic pace is very reminiscent of a Guy Ritchie film, but the non-linear storytelling doesn’t stick the landing and proves to be a bit too choppy. 

Birds of Prey (and the Fantabulous Emancipation of One Harley Quinn) is an entertaining adventure with a mix of well known and relatively new players. The story is a bit thin at times, but the action and humor help to balance the gaps. While there are challenges, I would rank this DCEU release just below the recent Wonder Woman and Aquaman films.