Birds of Prey | Screenlife Reviews

The DC “Extended Universe” as it is now known has had a tumultuous journey throughout its relatively short 7 years, with various set-backs and course corrections altering character arcs and even entire films before they reached audiences. Nevertheless, the films featuring the likes of Batman, Wonder-Woman and Harley Quinn consistently bring in huge numbers at the box office (sometimes regardless of the quality – I’m talking about you Suicide Squad). With a recent string of relatively well-received hits and plenty more on the horizon (The Suicide Squad & The Batman), it is looking like a particularly bright future if you’re a DC fan. With this year’s DC Fandome event whetting our appetite for more of these characters and Wonder Woman 1984 hitting our screens before the end of the year, now might seem like the perfect time to go back and re-watch your favourites or start the series. Luckily for you, we’ve done the hard work and ranked all the DCEU films currently available from best to Suicide Squad (no points for guessing that ranking).

8. Suicide Squad (2016)

As expected, in last place we have David Ayer’s absolute mess of a superhero team-up film. It is fair to say expectations were high and for good reason with a cast like this. Will Smith. Margot Robbie. Viola Davis. Whether you believe the reports of heavy studio meddling or not, the one thing you can’t deny is that the final product is woefully undercooked. None of the characters are given much development at all apart from Smith’s Deadshot and Robbie’s Harley Quinn and the introductions we get to them are rendered comical by the incessant use of top 40 radio-songs. Seriously, it’s like the entire film’s music was orchestrated to net Warner Music’s stars some royalties. The plot is fairly standard comics Suicide Squad fair. A group of criminals with bombs implanted in their heads perform dangerous missions to get their sentences reduced, this time around that involves fighting their way through the fictional Midway City in order to stop the evil Enchantress (Cara Delevingne) from carrying out her decidedly vague, superhero movie staple “end of the world” plan. Delevingne is by far the worst thing about the film (and that’s saying something), waving her hands around as she weirdly sambas towards the titular team for an anti-climactic showdown. The one saving grace is that you can happily skip this and still have a perfect understanding of things going forward in the DC Universe until James Gunn’s reboot releases next year to hopefully better results.

7. Birds of Prey (2020)

Plucking Harley Quinn from out of the wreckage of Suicide Squad led to only slightly better results in the annoyingly titled Birds of Prey (And the Fantabulous Emancipation of One Harley Quinn). That’s right, I used the full title because I want you to know how ridiculous it is. We find Harley on the outs with boy toy the Joker in her latest outing, her back against the wall as criminals descend from the rafters to take their revenge now that she is no longer affiliated with the clown prince of crime. The biggest of these baddies is Ewan McGregor’s Roman Sionis (known to comic book fans as Black Mask), who actually manages to steal the limelight away from Quinn for more than a few scenes as he stomps his way through foul-mouthed tantrums and some unnerving moments of villainy. The eventual Birds of Prey team-up might be a little too convenient but injects a much needed shot of adrenaline in proceedings, with a diverse supporting cast including Mary Elizabeth Winstead, Jurnee Smollett-Bell and Rosie Perez doing their best to counter Robbie’s over-exuberance. Certain scenes including a delightful bout of colourful bedlam in a police station show promises of something beyond the trite elements stripped from Deadpool but are too few and far between to turn Birds of Prey into essential DC viewing.

6. Justice League (2017)

It’s hard to be too critical of Justice League, a film plagued by production issues and the untimely personal tragedy of director Zack Snyder forcing him to leave the film in the hands of Avengers director Joss Whedon. By all accounts, Whedon butchered the film and the resulting superhero team-up barely hits the 2 hour mark, very atypical for films of this type and even more strange considering the new Snyder Cut coming in 2021 is expected to be over 4 hours long. Nevertheless the resulting film was released and needs to be judged on that. Whedon tries almost too hard to inject the levity of Avengers here, focusing on banter and cool action moments rather than a coherent story. The gist of it involves Batman (Ben Affleck) and Wonder Woman (Gal Gadot) rallying together to assemble a team of superheroes – including the Flash (Ezra Miller), Cyborg (Ray Fisher) and Aquaman (Jason Momoa) – to defend the earth from an upcoming invasion by Steppenwolf (Ciarán Hinds), lieutenant for Thanos-level DC villain Darkseid (who was originally scripted to appear but is strangely absent). The story involving various macguffins and an attempt to revive the recently deceased Superman isn’t nearly as coherent as Whedon’s other work and converges into a final “team fights an army of faceless villains” confrontation so bland and weightless, it is hard to recall amongst the myriad of superior scenes. At the end of the day, Whedon’s version of Justice League is a somewhat enjoyable ride that Snyder will hopefully improve upon in the future, with some solid character moments and the honour of bestowing the world with Jason Momoa’s ultra macho, kick-ass Aquaman interpretation.

5. Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice (2016)

After the solid success of Man of Steel, DC decided to differentiate themselves from the MCU’s way of doing things; skipping the individual hero films and going all in with the Civil War-esque showdown of Batman v Superman. The result is a messy, overly complex superhero film that at times seems more preoccupied with laying the groundwork for things to come than being a coherent film in itself. Director Zack Snyder did manage to flesh out some of the myriad of undercooked storylines and give some breathing room to character arcs in the superior Ultimate Cut but the film still struggles under the weight of everything it is trying to do. After witnessing the destruction of Metropolis in the events of Man of Steel, Bruce Wayne (Ben Affleck) sets his sights on Superman (Henry Cavill), digging deep into the work of billionaire tech philanthropist (and Superman’s main psychotic enemy) Lex Luthor (Jesse Eisenberg) in order to find a way to stop Kal-El from ever repeating his mistakes. Add to that the many side investigations of Lois Lane (Amy Adams), Superman struggling to find his way in the world amid the myriad of political attacks led by a disgruntled senator (Holly Hunter), the introduction of Gal Gadot’s Wonder Woman and hints at each member of the Justice League and you have yourself one big pile of movie. The bright spots burn particularly bright, namely Batfleck and Wonder Woman’s introductions and the internal struggle of Superman, but for every victory the film shoots itself in the foot with sloppy writing. It’ll take more knocks in the head than Superman and Batman suffer combined to forget about that Martha debacle.

4. Wonder Woman (2017)

Catapulting off her performance in Batman v Superman, Gal Gadot found herself in the spotlight in the first solo Wonder Woman film, one of the first showings that the DC universe could escape the dark and gritty pallet of Zack Snyder and venture into vibrancy and positivity. Patty Jenkins directs with obvious love and adoration for the character, building a fully realised character in Diana Prince, who must learn the hardships of life after being flung from her perfectly isolated picturesque paradise of the Amazonian isle of Themyscira into the first World War, desperate to bring the peace of her people to the larger world by killing the embodiment of war Ares (David Thewlis). The film works best when it focuses on the fish-out-of-water storyline of Diana, giving us genuinely funny gags (something the series had struggled with in the past) and heart in spades. Chris Pine is excellent as Steve Trevor, bringing a rough-and-tumble charm to the spy who is on his own personal mission to end the war and stop the German scientist Doctor Poison (Elena Anaya), but this is Gadot’s film. Like Robert Downey Jr. as Iron Man or Chris Hemsworth as Thor, she embodies the role in every way possible, bringing a dignity and grace to the princess of Themyscira whilst maintaining that warrior spirit and willingness to do whatever it takes to spread peace. The third act stumbles slightly in its generic, CGI-heavy punchathon, but it can be forgiven when what preceded it is as affecting and genuine as Wonder Woman is.

3. Shazam! (2019)

Tom Hanks’ Big is a classic right? The story of a boy who wishes to become an adult one fateful night and wakes up the next day having jumped the gun on puberty. What if instead of becoming just an adult, that boy became a superhero? Complete with super-speed, flight and the ability to shoot lightning and move between boy and man by uttering a single word. Enter David F. Sandberg’s Shazam!, a film that excels by simply knowing what it needs to be: fun. This is definitely the most lighthearted adventure thus far in the DCEU and the result is a surprising jolt of energy into the developing overall tone of the series. We’ve seen films like Aquaman and Wonder Woman try to steer away from that grittiness of yesteryear before but Shazam! is a whole different ball game, taking the admittedly ridiculous story of Billy Batson (Asher Angel) and turning it into a (mostly) family-friendly adventure with jokes flying thick and fast as Billy and adopted brother Freddy (Jack Dylan Grazer) discover the former’s powers together. Grazer is on top form here, fresh off his performance as the equally neurotic Eddie Kasprak from the IT franchise, and his banter with Zachary Levi (who plays the powered-up version of Billy) is the highlight of the film, full of childlike wonder and amusement as they bond and tackle everyday problems with Billy’s abilities. Sandberg isn’t afraid to push the limits of the “family friendly” tag though, peppering in some truly horrific creatures, physical embodiments of the seven deadly sins controlled by the evil Dr. Sivana (Mark Strong hamming it up).

2. Aquaman (2018)

How do you end decades of endless ridicule of a superhero whose only real power is the ability to talk to fish? You cast the hulking behemoth that is Jason Momoa and dare anyone to crack a joke, that’s how. Momoa redefines the character of Arthur Curry in his own solo film as a tough as nails, heavily drinking badass, who rejects his valid claim to the throne of Atlantis, an act of defiance against those who he believed murdered his mother Queen Atlanna (Nicole Kidman). The film follows a fairly standard hero’s journey arc for Arthur, paring him with Princess Mera (Amber Heard) on a journey to find the long-lost trident of Atlan, the only macguffin powerful enough to defeat Arthur’s deranged half brother Orm (Patrick Wilson) and fulfil his destiny. Having previously helmed horror franchises such as Insidious and The Conjuring before moving on to tackle the gigantic Furious 7, director James Wan goes bigger than ever before here, populating the sprawling CGI world of Atlantis with all manner of cool and crazy creatures. Orm riding an armoured Mosasaur into battle? Check. An octopus playing war drums before a ceremonial death match for the crown? Check again. A remix of Toto’s hit Africa by the one and only Pitbull? You bet your ass that’s a monster of a tune. As you can see Wan has fun with this world, also bringing those horror roots to tense and terrifying scenes involving the Trench, a race of mutated ocean dwellers driven insane by the lack of light in the briny depths. Throughout it all however, we are deeply invested in Arthur’s journey, primarily due to the earnestness in Momoa’s performance. He lives and breathes this character, this is a part of him and it comes across on-screen. Give Jason Momoa as many sequels as you can in this crazy underwater playground. Long live the king.

1. Man of Steel (2013)

Man of Steel represents the purest form of what the DCEU set out to do: build on the foundation and quality of Nolan’s Dark Knight trilogy to create a film that gets to the heart of Superman and his message, with Henry Cavill cementing his legacy as Supes with a performance that rivals the great Christopher Reeves. Told through a combination of flashbacks, both to the fall of Krypton and Clark Kent’s childhood, this new take on the iconic story presents Clark as a lost soul searching for the meaning his adoptive father (Kevin Costner) has always told him his life holds as a link between humanity and a bigger universe, a guiding light to bigger things for the human race. When the terrifying General Zod (Michael Shannon) risks everything Clark holds dear, he is forced to dig into his past, uncovering the ghostly memory of his Kryptonian father Jor-El (Russell Crowe) and the power he possesses as the strongest being on Earth. The world-building on display is fascinating, giving you equal measures of classic Earth-bound adventures and epic sci-fi action from the destruction of Krypton to Clark’s final battle against the devious Zod. Following a similar stylistic choice to Nolan’s trilogy proves a bit too dark at times, with a very muted colour pallet robbing the film of a lot of its vibrancy – especially with regards to Superman’s otherwise vivid suit – but fitting like a glove when applied to the cold Kryptonian architecture. The film does manage to top Nolan’s opus in one key way, with composer Hans Zimmer delivering his greatest work here, crafting an iconic modern take on the Superman theme, one that fills you with dread as General Zod approaches his unsuspecting victim but also with unbridled hope and optimism as Clark uncovers his potential and becomes the symbol for all humanity to aspire to. It’s a transportive score that elevates the film to a whole new level and one you will be humming for weeks after. Man of Steel is an experiment that proves that there is a middle ground between extremely dark and gritty and comedy-heavy, a grounded epic that makes you believe in the man in the red cape you looked up to as a kid all over again.

I was not looking forward to Birds of Prey, or to use the obnoxiously-long full title Birds of Prey (And the Fantabulous Emancipation of One Harley Quinn). The last film to feature Margot Robbie’s ridiculously over-the-top psychologist turned maniac, 2016’s Suicide Squad, was a major disappointment: a misleading bore of a superhero-team up sold on its use of colour (it had none), pop-culture references (excessive) and endless blasting of pop songs (constant and mind-numbingly loud). Harley Quinn was a standout for most people – although I must admit I find the character extremely annoying and boring – and Warner Bros saw fit to give her another shot. This time around however, the film was being sold as a superhero team-up full of colour, pop-culture references and modern radio friendly tunes…. and that’s exactly what you get: a boring, meandering film of slightly better quality than Suicide Squad but with almost all of the same problems.

The central plot is simple enough. The Joker has had enough of Harley Quinn (he’s not the only one) and has severed his ties with her, leaving the poor psychopath on her own as a bevy of villains look to exact their revenge for the various evildoings she carried out while under the clown prince of crime’s protection. This leads Harley on a journey of self-discovery and preservation as she evades the people she has wronged, particularly the wealthy and well connected crime lord Roman Sionis (Ewan McGregor), familiar to fans of the Batman franchise as the villain Black Mask. To save her own skin, Harley must retrieve an extremely valuable diamond for Sionis – which just so happens to have been pickpocketed by local Gotham teenager Cassandra Cain (Ella Jay Basco) who is oblivious to the significance of her latest steal. As Harley befriends Cain and navigates the dangerous streets of Gotham City, she crosses paths with a number of quirky characters who all have their own motives for going after Cain and their own grievances with Sionis. These include the hard hitting detective-turned-vigilante Renee Montoya (Rosie Perez), Cain’s neighbour and Sionis’ reluctant associate Dinah Lance (Jurnee Smollett-Bell) and the recently arrived to Gotham, crossbow-wielding assassin Huntress (Mary Elizabeth Winstead).

If this sounds like more of a Harley Quinn film than a team-up to you then you’re absolutely right. The supporting cast is woefully underutilised with the exception of McGregor as Sionis, who dials the campiness up to 11 to play the flamboyant, tantrum-prone germaphobe mob boss. His scenes are easily the most hilarious and enjoyable and his odd, are they/aren’t they relationship with his right-hand man Victor Zsasz (Chris Messina) is one of the strangest, and honestly one of the only fully realised relationships of the film. Yet this film belongs to Harley Quinn and if you’re a fan of the character then Robbie’s interpretation is about as close to perfect as you can get, right down to the voice. While her arc in the film is fairly standard and doesn’t really go anywhere unexpected, there’s no doubting the commitment and passion that Robbie has for the role, clearly relishing playing the character as she imbues Quinn with endless energy and sass. Mary Elizabeth Winstead is fine enough in her role as Huntress but she just isn’t given anything to do; with an attempt to establish her backstory and motives coming so late in the game and so fleetingly that it’s hard to really care all that much. The standout besides Robbie here is Jurnee Smollett-Bell as Dinah Lance – who fans of the show Arrow will be familiar with. She brings a nice balance of street-smarts and toughness with genuine kindness and a desire to be good that results in a character the audience can latch onto; she owes Sionis for dragging her off the streets but at the same time doesn’t condone the terrible things that he does and we want her to get out of this situation.

From a technical and story point of view, Birds of Prey is a letdown. Decisions have been made to make the film more quick-paced and manic, perhaps to make us see things like Harley Quinn, but these hinder the film more than they make for an enjoyable viewing experience. Large chunks of the film are narrated by Quinn herself as though she is relaying the story in real time to the audience, complete with time jumps backwards and forwards as Harley recovers from a hangover and recollects events. The result is an uneven pacing and a confusing plot that can go from two characters discussing something to an intense, in-your-face action sequence in a matter of minutes with no build-up or storytelling as to why the fight is happening. These action sequences vary in quality from an absolutely spellbinding sequence in a police station to an incredibly mundane final battle as far as super-hero movies go. The action is at its best when director Cathy Yan chooses to be play with the environment more and shoot the scenes in a more stylised fashion with slow motion shots and fast, quick cuts. In contrast to Suicide Squad, this film is colourful – filled with flashes of vibrant greens, blues and reds that really help to establish a visual style even if they don’t always make sense (why would a chemical plant explode in multicoloured fireworks?). Yan has clearly tried to lend her own personal flavour and style to the film and she should be commended. As for the music choices, the less said about that the better, as clearly nobody has learned from the mistakes of Suicide Squad in this regard.

Birds of Prey wasn’t a movie that was begging to be made. Warner Bros took what worked from Suicide Squad and figured they could build a film, potentially a franchise, on the strength of Harley Quinn alone. It’s an interesting experiment, if ultimately a failure. There’s no denying that Margot Robbie plays the character to perfection but the film around her just isn’t interesting enough to warrant much of a response from the audience. While there are flashes of style and some solid action scenes – Cathy Yan has clearly tried to do something different here – it ultimately doesn’t come together as a whole and I wouldn’t be surprised if I forget the film entirely after a few days. Harley Quinn certainly isn’t going anywhere however and it’ll be interesting to see how someone like James Gunn, famous for directing the Guardians of the Galaxy films, handles the character in his upcoming Suicide Squad sequel.

Birds of Prey stars Margot Robbie, Ewan McGregor, Rosie Perez, Mary Elizabeth Winstead, Jurnee Smollett-Bell, Ella Jay Basco & Chris Messina – in cinemas now.