I’ve been sitting here for a few minutes staring at the computer screen, because I’m really not even sure where to begin talking about Birds of Prey. It’s such a weird thing to have come out, and I think it’s going to take a while for me to sort through my feelings on this movie. I guess we’ll start with what this is. Basically, Birds of Prey is a kind-of sequel/kind-of spin-off of 2016’s Suicide Squad, focusing entirely on Margot Robbie’s Harley Quinn character from that movie. When first hearing about the movie, I didn’t really care. This was never a movie that I really wanted to happen, but when you realize you can’t stop it, you just kind of roll with it. Even upon seeing trailers, I just thought that it looked bizarre, and I was never really sure what to make of it. I felt like the movie could go either way, but getting Suicide Squad vibes made me less than thrilled about it, so I was kind of leaning more towards it being a bad movie. That feeling of thinking the movie as unnecessary still permeated throughout my entire viewing of Birds of Prey, but I also found myself enjoying it in a weird way? This is so hard to explain.

Anyway, I’m getting ahead of myself. What is the movie all about? Well, basically, like I said we’re focusing entirely on Harley Quinn here, with everyone else being characters that are specifically new to this movie. The premise is that the Joker and Harley Quinn have broken up, and Harley is trying to figure out how to function without a man that she’s spent so much time obsessing over. However, now she faces a whole new problem. There are a lot of people that want Harley Quinn did, and the only reason they didn’t go after her before is because they’re afraid of the Joker. Now that she’s no longer under his protection, though, everyone starts coming after her. At the top of this list is a villain named Black Mask, who is extremely dangerous. So, Harley Quinn is trying to find her own identity while also fighting off the huge target that’s been placed on her back.

This is one of those movies where I think it’s kind of a bad movie, yet I can’t deny that I enjoyed myself anyway. This is weird to mix in with the low expectations that I had for the movie, since it makes me feel both justified and not. What do I mean by “it’s kind of a bad movie?” Well, if you’ve seen Suicide Squad, it’s actually a pretty good comparison. Birds of Prey is pretty similar to that, only it is a bit better. Still, some of the main problems that were apparent in Suicide Squad are also true for Birds of Prey. The storyline isn’t anything special. A lot of the acting is pretty bad. The music, while good on its own, is utilized in a really weird way at parts. Despite the main characters being great, a lot of the side characters suck. The movie feels like one of the early 2000s attempts at superhero movies, but one of the good attempts, if that makes sense. Like, I don’t consider it to be as special or evolved as modern superhero movies, but it’s fun in a bad way. Or maybe bad in a fun way, I’m not really sure.

Regardless, the movie does have its merits, and I consider them to be the saving graces that make Birds of Prey a really fun movie despite its flaws. Even though it’s stylistically inconsistent, the style and aesthetic of the movie is really neat. If you’ve seen any promotional material for the movie, you’ll know that it’s a visual buffet. This is fun to look at, and so it’s cool to just look at the cinematography of the scenes. I think I remember hearing one reviewer refer to the movie as “a glitter bomb version of Deadpool,” and that’s pretty accurate. Also, I remember one thing that I loved about Suicide Squad was Margot Robbie’s portrayal of Harley Quinn, and that’s still true here. She really just owns this character, and I always have fun watching her antics on-screen. The other standout here is Ewan McGregor’s portrayal as Black Mask. McGregor just really hams it up in this role, and he is always entertaining. Black Canary and Huntress are fine too, but the rest of the characters kind of suck. Still, the ones that are great make it worth it. Finally, the action scenes of the movie are fantastic. There are some really unique and stylish action sequences spread throughout the movie, with some really memorable ones including a fight in a police station and one in a funhouse. It’s just plain fun to watch Harley kick some ass.

So, yeah…I don’t really know how to feel about this one. In time, I could see myself looking back on it in a more positive or negative light, because while I did enjoy myself, I can’t in good conscience say that it’s a good movie. I never really cared about what was going on and just kind of went through the motions, but I also didn’t mind being along for the ride. I never shook the feeling that I just didn’t need the movie to exist, but I’m also not mad that it does. If you really liked Margot Robbie’s Harley Quinn in Sucide Squad and are looking for more of the character, then check this out. Otherwise, I don’t consider this a must-see by any means, but it is still entertaining.

3.5/5