Birds of Prey Deserved Its Full, Chaotic 15 Minutes of Fame

It at all times sucks when one thing that’s fairly good and was clearly properly made simply doesn’t hit the best way it looks like it ought to’ve. That is significantly true in terms of motion pictures; consider a movie you noticed that was surprisingly pleasurable and the way it didn’t actually get a good shake for no matter motive.

Loads of examples come to thoughts for me, however one of many first is Harley Quinn: Birds of Prey. Initially launched on February 7, 2020 below its initial (and funnier) title, Birds of Prey (and the Fantabulous Emancipation of One Harley Quinn), the movie’s a little bit of a tangled knot. It’s possible you’ll bear in mind it first appeared like a solo vehicle for Margot Robbie’s Harley post-Suicide Squad 2016, then someplace alongside the road, it additionally may have turn out to be one thing for the favored, usually women-starring B-list superhero group, after which ended up being…sort of each?

Possibly an odd hybrid is at all times what it was fated to be, for the reason that DCEU had a bizarre air about it post-Joss Whedon’s Justice League, and it appeared Warner Bros. determined to only let these motion pictures do their very own factor. Aquaman and the unique Shazam are clear examples of that freedom, however they got here with much less substantial baggage than Harley, whose fundamental title character was mid-transformation into an enormous identify solo model through the 2010s. After spending most of her lifetime as Joker’s girlfriend (and typically Poison Ivy’s ahem, roommate), DC determined Harley might begin being her personal particular person exterior of her paramour’s typically exhausting orbit.

And what makes you end up once more like a breakup? No matter else you’ll be able to say about Birds of Prey, it’s clearly having a ball letting Harley grieve, then recover from her fairly explosive cut up with Joker. There’ve been loads of franchise motion pictures that’ve functioned as comfortable reboots, however not fairly on this manner the place Robbie’s giving 110% into being Harley as she comes into her personal whereas heading off a laundry listing of individuals she pissed off below her ex’s safety and are actually trying to settle some scores. For as a lot as WB has tried to distance itself from a few of the earlier DCEU movies, the primary Suicide Squad film has left a protracted shadow casting-wise, with Robbie and fellow co-stars Viola Davis and Joel Kinnaman getting to stay round longer than most stars below James Gunn’s new inventive regime. Even Will Smith’s Deadshot has left a mark on Squad-adjacent media, regardless of not having proven up within the motion pictures in practically a full decade.

When all’s stated and executed, Robbie’s Harley is essentially the most eternal character of the DCEU, and her casting is arguably up there alongside the late Arleen Sorkin when it comes to her significance to the harlequin’s historical past. Let’s face it, Harley most likely wouldn’t have her personal ongoing show or characteristic prominently in a number of main video video games if not for her live-action outings.

However good onscreen presence and chemistry with an equally good forged can solely take you thus far, and in Birds of Prey’s case, it didn’t go far. The movie was launched shortly after the covid-19 pandemic was declared a world public emergency, which left film theaters and studios scrambling to determine what to do. WB opted to place the movie on VOD a month after launch, however the movie was broken even earlier than that: together with common ol’ misogyny at a woman-fronted superhero flick, of us had been burned by DC motion pictures too many occasions, and the first title would possibly’ve been a bit a lot. Worse, it landed simply forward of Sonic the Hedgehog, which received audiences over as soon as its on-line fanbase bullied the filmmakers right into a extra devoted redesign. Issues weren’t precisely in its favor, which is one thing of a development with each handful of superhero motion pictures this decade—for each The Batman or Deadpool & Wolverine, there’s two or three Blue Beetles or The Marvels that received burned by universe (or its personal style’s) troubles.

The preliminary days of the pandemic broke the film system, and that ache continues to be felt, even now. After Birds, WB opted to split the difference by giving its motion pictures simultaneous releases in theaters and its then-new streaming service HBO Max. Whereas comprehensible on the time, and gave motion pictures like Surprise Lady 1984 and the 2021 Mortal Kombat some streaming bragging rights, it additionally pissed off a number of filmmakers. Christopher Nolan, dissatisfied with the dearth of filmmaker enter on this resolution, famously ended his longtime partnership with the corporate and jumped over to Common, the place Oppenheimer turned a field workplace success and anticipation builds for his tackle The Odyssey in 2026. Audiences have returned to theaters in recent times, however studios nonetheless play some underhanded tips, like insultingly quick (and underpromoted) theatrical home windows or canceling already finished movies.

In some methods, Birds of Prey was fortunate to hit in 2020 and keep away from a probably worse destiny as WB appeared on the verge of energetic collapse. Even so, it’s arduous to not need higher for it—its gleefully violent power stays as enjoyable now because it did then, and its characters all bounce off one another so properly, you’ll be able to’t assist however need extra of their misadventures. As is, it’s an fascinating cultural artifact due to the way it took place and lived… and in addition an excellent advert for bodegas and breakfast egg sandwiches.

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