a) STORY
Is the story, idea, plot, dialogue authentic and believable?
The writing for this film was extremely animated and outlandish but it works within the context of the film, it’s not an Oscar film and it knows it. The goofy and silly lines work within this world but can get old quick. The original plot of the film was really stupid and after hearing the fans complaints on Twitter, WB decided to re-write and re-shoot the film and you can tell what was added in later as it wasn’t done organically.
Is it original?
The plot of the film has been done so many times that it has become bland and boring at this point. Unfortunately, Christina Hodson didn’t add enough to her script to freshen it up.
Did you care about the main characters, why?
The film the benefit of taking place in an existing cinematic universe and focuses on a fan favorite character, Harley Quinn. The fans are heavily invested in Harley and care deeply about her development within the DCEU, however, the film didn’t do a good enough job developing the other characters enough. Although this is a team movie titled Birds of Prey, it is very much the Harley show.
Did the sub-plots work? Why?
The sub-plots in this movie are lazy and clichéd. For a film called Birds of Prey to reduce their main characters storylines to sub-plots that are not interesting is a real shame.
Why would you, or wouldn’t you, recommend it to a film class?
This is a good film to teach in a film class as an example of what NOT to do when you produce a movie. Margot Robbie, who is the head producer, made this a vanity project, looking out for herself as an actress rather than the film itself, which hurt it, every decision she made hindered the success of the film.
Story Score: 65/100
b) ACTING
Were the actors believable, natural?
The one highlight in this film is the acting, most of the actors here did a good job. Ewan McGregor was the standout as the campy villain Roman Sionis aka Black Mask. McGregor is a fan favorite character actor and he did not disappoint here. Margot Robbie, Jurnee Smollett-Bell, Mary Elizabeth Winstead and Chris Messina all delivered good performances, though towards the end of the film, all their characters went through a huge tonal shift that came out of nowhere that takes you out of the film. The two weakest performances in the film are from Oscar winner Rosie Perez and child actor Ella Jay Basco. Perez plays cliché police detective Rene Montoya and she does absolutely nothing with the role, as for Jay Basco, she is so unlikeable, that all her line readings feel jarring.
What was the best acted scene in the film, why?
The best acted scene was a scene involving McGregor’s Sionis, Smollett-Bell's Dinah Lance and Messina’s Victor Zsasz. Lance just arrived at Sionis’ house where Zsasz and Sionis are having breakfast and when she arrives, Sionis gives her a tour of his living room and shows off his things. The scene is played for comedic effect and is done so well. The timing was perfect, and each actor brought something to the scene, McGregor’s over the top facial features and delivery, Smollett-Bell's sarcasm and Messina’s jealousy. The three of them share screen-time and each of those scenes is well done, they all have great chemistry.
Who was the best actor? Why? Would you cast the actor? For what role?
By far and away Ewan McGregor. Just like Colin Farrell, McGregor is a great actor that is labeled as box office poison, he has never delivered a high amount from the box office which is a travesty. Comedy is his strong suit and he should consider doing a comedy for a streaming service, Netflix, HBO, Hulu, even a comedic Christopher Robin spin-off show for Disney+.
Acting Score: 90/100
c) TECHNICAL
How did the following elements influence the mood of the film:
Cinematography?
The cinematography for Birds of Prey is actually pretty good. They framed each shot to make it look like a comic book panel which added to the fun of the film. Director Cathy Yan also said on twitter that she tried to incorporate as many long takes as she could and those add to the artistry the film went for.
Editing?
The editing is very fast and is very similar to 2016’s Suicide Squad. The pacing is fast and keeps the story going at full speed which adds to the fun and crazy nature of the film. The action sequences are also well edited, John Wick director, Chad Stahelski, was brought in by Warner Bros to juice up the action and he did a good job. The slow motion effect was used well within the action sequences.
Audio/music?
Much like Suicide Squad, the soundtrack for Birds of Prey became a huge hit and it really works within the film, each song is well used in each sequence and highlights the action that is happening on screen.
Lighting?
This is Cathy Yan’s first blockbuster film, she can light the scene beautifully, cleverly using different colors and shadows. The technicality of the film feels very much like an arthouse film in places.
Colours?
This is the best use of color in a movie this year. They use a plethora of colors to create beautiful shots. Colored smoke bombs, street lighting, explosions, all used vibrant colors to seriously plus the film.
Set design?
The sets in the film were weak. The film takes place in Gotham but nothing in the film seems to indicate that. The fun house is bland, boring and doesn’t work; The foggy pier is sloppy CG that they used to re-shoot the film; Harley’s house, although I appreciate the easter eggs in the Mise En Scene, her house didn’t register.
Costumes?
This is another example of Margot Robbie only looking out for herself. Harley Quinn goes through many costume changes and each of them are beloved by fans, all the other characters costumes are non-existent.
Technical Score: 80/100
d) ADD
Add up the marks of your review
235/300.
Give the film a total percentage.
78%
Make a concluding sentence or paragraph.
The final score I gave the film was not horrible, the rotten tomato score for the film is high, the fanbase loves the film, so why did the film bomb at the box office? It all comes down to crucial mistakes made by Robbie as a producer. Firstly, after the success of Suicide Squad, Robbie was given many options on a spin-off for Harley Quinn including: a Gotham City Sirens movie with a recognizable title (Gotham is a popular IP that is in the title) & 2 fan favorite characters as her co-stars (Catwoman and Poison Ivy); and a Joker and Harley Quinn movie, co-starring one of the most popular villains ever. Instead, Robbie decided she wanted to take over the Birds of Prey movie, booting the only recognizable team member from the comics (Barbara Gordon/Batwoman), side-lining the other team members, stealing a plot that was originally intended for Suicide Squad 2, and sticking herself in the center of all of it. Then, to make it worse, she decided to cast complete unknowns as the other team members, and cheap B level actors in the other roles. She hired a first time, unknown director that she could control, slapped an unnecessary R rating on the film that alienated Harley’s core fanbase, gave the film a super long title and promised LGBT representation that was non-existent in the finished product. Then when the film bombed opening weekend, she changed the name to Harley Quinn: Birds of Prey, that further confused fans and floated out the narrative that the film failed because of “trolls who don’t like representation in film”. It’s pretty obvious that the film would have failed right from the get-go, in an effort to be the star, Robbie failed to realize that basing the film on niche source material, then fundamentally changing that source material, filling the film with unknown talent as unknown characters led by an unknown director, and aiming for an R rating all were clear reasons why the film didn’t register.
Comments