Birds of Prey (and the Fantabulous Emancipation of One Harley Quinn) is a bonkers and bombastic blast, equal parts thrilling, engaging and hilarious. While the chaotic tone of the film means the story sometimes gets away from itself, Birds of Prey is unlike anything DC has ever produced (but still very much part of the DC Universe), and sets the bar incredibly high for the rest of 2020.

The film, directed by Cathy Yan (Dead Pigs), centers primarily around Harley Quinn (Margot Robbie) after the Joker's left her once and for all. After a period of debauchery to try to get over it, Harley makes a major public show of ending their relationship. This clues the rest of Gotham into the fact that Harley can now be targeted without risking reprisal from the Joker. Many people want to take advantage of that -- including Roman Sionis (Ewan McGregor), a misogynistic gang leader who has a particular distaste for Harley.

Harley is given one shot to save her life: she must find a diamond that was stolen from Sionis' top henchman, Victor Zsasz (Chris Messina), by the pickpocket Cassandra Cain (Ella Jay Basco). Along the way, three other Gotham women -- alcoholic GCPD Detective Renee Montoya (Rosie Perez), Roman's reluctant singer/driver Dinah Lance (Jurnee Smollett-Bell) and the mysterious "crossbow killer" calling herself Huntress (Mary Elizabeth Winstead) -- all end up in Harley and Roman's destructive orbit.

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Yan does a phenomenal job helming Birds of Prey, her first break into mainstream cinema. Her direction is frantic but never out of control, befitting a movie about Harley Quinn. The film has a colorful palette that helps the film pop even in the most basic storytelling moments.

Especially impressive are the fight sequences scattered throughout the film. There's a fluidity and creativity to the action that gives each of these scenes a distinctive feel. Part of this is because the film gives each character a different fighting style and skill-set, which changes each action beat based on who's participating in it. Harley's chaotic and skillful with various surprising weapons, Dinah relies on a kick-heavy fighting style, Helena's brutal but efficient tactics feel almost like something out of John Wick and Montoya's brawler tendencies set up both gags and tension. There's a level of visual attention paid to each part of the film that makes it come together.

Screenwriter Christina Hodson (Bumblebee) infuses Gotham City with a vibrancy that has been missing from the DC Extended Universe, making this world feel more lived-in and authentic than ever before. The script infuses each character with a deep connection to Gotham that's clear seconds after they're introduced. It also juggles a solid sense of comedy with the more exciting elements of the film.

The game cast uniformly meets the requirements of the script with gusto, bringing a spirited but unique sense of life to their characters. While the script can breeze through plot developments at times, the tight sense of comic tone and surprising heart at the core of the story keeps the audience invested enough to make those leaps.

Robbie returns to the part she first brought to life in 2016's Suicide Squad. This time, she's given the room to really explore Harley Quinn, keeping her frantic and aggressive but without ever losing the core of the character. Once the film pairs her with Basco's Cassandra Cain, both actresses get the chance to bounce off each other in fun, unexpected ways.

Smollett-Bell and Perez are both terrific in their roles, essentially playing the straight-women to the increasingly absurd events around them. Winstead finds a way to play a believable unstoppable killer while also bringing a surprising layer of comedy to the character. McGregor and Messina both have a blast in rare villain roles, chewing every last piece of scenery they can while still keeping their characters threatening and imposing. It's a tricky balancing act for almost the entire cast, and they all succeed.

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Each piece of the filmmaking process comes together and gels incredibly well in this movie, leading to an effective and effortlessly enjoyable film. Each member of the titular Birds of Prey is looking for something they need, and each of them finds surprising but believable depths in themselves during their missions. None of this feels forced or artificial, either.

Birds of Prey (and the Fantabulous Emancipation of One Harley Quinn) is a shot of adrenaline right into the heart of the DCEU, giving it a sense of style, emotion and color that feels wholly unique, but still fits within this version of the DC Universe. It's exactly the film that fans were hoping for.

Art-style poster of Birds of Prey (2020) with Margot Robbie as Harley Quinn
Birds of Prey
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After splitting with the Joker, Harley Quinn joins superheroines Black Canary, Huntress, and Renee Montoya to save a young girl from an evil crime lord.

Directed by Cathy Yan from a script by Christina Hodson, Birds of Prey (And the Fantabulous Emancipation of One Harley Quinn) stars Margot Robbie, Jurnee Smollett-Bell, Mary Elizabeth Winstead, Rosie Perez, Ewan McGregor, Ella Jay Basco, Steven Williams, Derek Wilson, Dana Lee, Francois Chau, Charlene Amoia, Chris Messina and Matthew Willig. The film arrives Feb. 7.

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