Many film franchises in the last decade alone have come, failed, try again, and failed again. But on franchise that on paper that has constantly "failed" and kept trying to resurrect over the last few years is the DCEU. Ever since their 2018 release of "Aquaman", the DCEU has slowing been rising to the top in terms of quality films. Now here we are, 4 years after the release of their 2016 film, the Academy Award Winning "Suicide Squad" with Margot Robbie reprising her role as the famous gangster criminal aka the maid of mistress Harley Quinn. Years after the events of "Suicide Squad", Harley Quinn and the Joker have broken up, and now she is looking to make a name for herself, and leaving The Joker in the dust. With that being said, along the way of her break up ceremony and freedom festival, enemies of the Joker are catching up to Harley and attacking her, including Roman Sionis aka Black Mask played by Ewan McGregor, a crime lord and nightclub owner who will stop at nothing to have Gotham in his way. Now alone and on the run, Harley needs a new team and new identity. In comes Cassandra Cain, a young girl also on the run from the police and Sionis, who pick potted a rare diamond from one of Sionis worker's aka Black Canary. Black Canary who is working with Gotham Detective Renee Montoya to take down a mysterious crossbow killer named The Huntress who is consistently adding victims to their list. All leading to dealings with Harley herself that can help bring the end to Black Mask. Overall, this movie is quite enjoyable and a great step to the future of the DCEU, however with the pros comes a short list of cons. The cast for this film, and the acting along with it was quite amazing. As I mentioned previously, the bar for films in the DCEU is quite low, with the best being "Shazam" and "Aquaman" showing slights of improvement in the quality and style of films. Bringing more color, better acting, and overall being storytelling. Birds of Prey continues that train of improvement into the DCEU and with its style and action. With amazing choreographed fight sequences and stellar stunts that certainly utilize its R rating. I understand some of the critics of the R rating, however I found the movie works the best way possible with its rating that brings out the best of the film. Secondly, Margot Robbie is born to be Harley Quinn, she is the queen of this role and always brings a style and energy to Quinn that makes her born to be this role, such as Hugh Jackman as Wolverine, Robert Downey Jr. as Iron Man, and Ryan Reynolds as Deadpool, simply iconic. The chemistry among herself and her other cast mates is one of a kind and genuine that brings the film to the edge of your seat. Lastly, McGregor as Black Mask was not only a perfect casting choice, but also he is quite cunning and mysterious its both scary and intriguing that makes him a genius and a madmen. Now with the con of the film, when the film arrives to it's big team up sequence it feels as if it takes forever to arrive at that point, and without spoiling the scene feels as if it last for only a few minutes, and by the time its over the credits are rolling. I wish we had gotten to see maybe more team up moments for all the cast together, but I feel as if they were saving these moments for the future. The chemistry of the film among the girls is what works so why not make the film a tad bit longer just to showcase one of its strengths, Do not get me wrong, the buildup for leading to climax of the film was quite brilliant, however their are moments in the film it just feels like a slow buildup, the climax is worth it and the humor is top tier, but do not be afraid to take a risk. Birds of Prey is a fun superhero film that is a right step forward for the DCEU and shows an awesome potential for its future with the characters of Harley Quinn and company.
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