By: Keaton Marcus

DISCLAIMER: IF YOU ARE UNDER THE AGE OF 16, YOU MUST ASK YOUR PARENTS IF YOU ARE ALLOWED, IF THEY SAY NO…IT MEANS NO!

07birdsofprey-explainer-lead-videoSixteenByNineJumbo1600.jpg — 84/100 “sweet”

After being thrown around amidst all the painful action sequences and tired special effects in "Suicide Squad", Margot Robbie's Harley Quinn finally gets the justice her iconic character needs with the truly fantabulous "Birds of Prey". It's gleefully violent, hilarious, a lot of fun and it’s most likely one of the best DC flicks of all-time (the greatest in the DCEU). With a charismatic supporting cast, a killer lead performance, and a fresh injection of a catchy, bad-ass soundtrack--these Birds soar, they fly high. Ewen McGregor's narcissistic, often entertaining villain Black Mask breaks new ground for comic-book antagonists...and leaves the viewers wanting more. First-time director Cathy Yan additionally keeps the colors, and zany action going in the right direction, never missing a beat. Sure, it may not have the broody, honestly tedious darkness of some of the DCEU's earlier efforts, but it has the action of "John Wick", and that's truly something. A certain warning could be that this is certainly not a clean film, it could be considered a mess by many, but can you imagine a Harley Quinn origin without the disorder.

The movie kicks off with Harley (Robbie), on a roller-skating team, and having a bit of a mid-life crisis after breaking up with the Clown Prince of Crime (and no, there's not any Jared Leto in here). After having a revelation, so to speak, she cuts ties with the Jokes, and finally has the emancipation she deserves. However, when Cassandra Cain (a wonderful Ella Jay Basco) pick-pockets a valuable diamond from the notorious Roman Sionis a.k.a Black Mask (McGregor on acid), she becomes a 500,000 dollar target for every assassin in Gotham. This forces Quinn and several rag-tag anti-heroes such as Huntress (deadpan humor by Mary Elizabeth Winstead), Black Canary (Jurnee Smollett bringing the voice) and the ex-detective Renee Montoya (a hardcore Rosie Perez) to team up against the evil corrupting the city. Juice that plot with humor, feminism and some of the sharpest direction I've seen in awhile, and you've got "Birds of Prey".

Margot Robbie truly gives THE impeccable comic-book performance, something that hasn't been done in a good while. And when Robbie begins to start her routine all over again, she hands over the baton to other cast members until it becomes a relay race of excellent acting. Still, it will always be Robbie's Harley that steals the show. Her energetic showcase in "Suicide Squad" was the only passable thing in the movie, but you only got a fraction of her talent. In this sequel, double that, and add some sprinkles on top. Not only is she making her way in the comic-book universe, but this actress has been in both "Bombshell", "Once Upon a Time in Hollywood", "Mary, Queen of Scotts" and more. Principally, she's nominated for an Oscar this year, and her reign of superb outings over other actresses of the generation won't end soon.

Whether it’s Obi-Wan Kenobi peeling off victims' faces or Harley Quinn running for her egg-sandwich (and her life), director Cathy Yan makes her bones with an anarchic, hyperactive, colorful anti-hero origin story that makes faultless use of the film's bright and eccentric characters. There's a certain creative style to the flick as well, similar to Guy Ritchie's, but new and improved. What obviously differs it from the common blockbuster is forgetting to slam some flashy effects on top, and going full-throttle on humor, blood, and guts, and incredibly setting up a potential new franchise. Really, there's not a concrete way to describe this. It may or may not be on coke the entire run-time, but this fast-paced, Harley-featuring epic proves that comic-book films don't need space battles to be good.

The final opinion is: "Birds of Prey" is a colorfully-made, juvenile, showcase of how much damage Harley Quinn and her Birds can do in 100 minutes--a free-for-all, anti-hero origin that feels superior to even the best efforts in the genre...$PLURGE IT

Rent for $5.99 or Buy for $19.99 in SD and HD on Prime Video

By: Keaton Marcus

Box Office Info:

Opening: 33M

Domestic Total: 84.1M

Worldwide Total: 199.1M