The new DCEU movie Birds Of Prey opened to rave views from both critics and the audience after being released more than a week ago and it’s one of the best-reviewed DCEU films, behind Wonder Woman and Shazam!, with a certified fresh score of 79% on Rotten Tomatoes (as of the moment this was written). However, it hasn’t been that successful at the box office, having the worst opening weekend so far for a DCEU movie. So what’s the problem? Why aren’t DC fans rushing to see this movie at the theater? There are different reasons.
First of all, it was released in February, which is a slow period at the box office and everyone knows that if you want to break the box office, you have to release a movie during summer at the latest. Secondly, people didn’t have high expectations for this movie after the disappointment that was Suicide Squad. Since Birds Of Prey is basically a sequel to Suicide Squad, it’s completely understandable that many people were reluctant to pay to see it. And then there are the hard-core comic book fanatics who claimed the movie is not faithful to the comics and it’s just an attempt to please a specific audience like feminists and people with more progressive views, instead of pleasing the traditional white-male audience. But, are they right? I am going to explain why they are wrong and why this movie is actually fantastic and everyone should see it.
Faithful to the Comics
Recently, DC writer and Harley Quinn co-writer Jimmy Palmiotti defended the movie, and specifically Margot Robbie’s portrayal of Harley Quinn, in a tweet: “Margot Robbie's portrayal of Harley Quinn is exactly as we have been writing the character since 2013. For those saying she's nothing like the character, may I suggest a 3-800 pages collections where you can make the comparison.”
I haven’t read a single Harley Quinn comic book but the image that I know and most people recognize is the one from the animated series in which she is dressed from head to toe as a harlequin clown. Harley doesn’t wear the clown outfit in this movie, although there is a joke about it, yet Margot Robbie’s portrayal is how I always envisioned this character.
She’s the same Harley from Suicide Squad, with a change of wardrobe and minus the abusive boyfriend and this time, she's even better. Suicide Squad was not completely terrible thanks mostly to Margot Robbie. Harley was the star of the movie and for me, and Margot was born to play her. She is funny, wacky, colorful, and completely insane; exactly what Harley is.
An empowering message
There have been some misguided critics, precisely from those same hardcore comic fans, saying that the movie is anti-men, but that’s not true at all. The movie is centered around the female characters, but it's mostly about the development of Harley Quinn’s character. I am grateful for that because one of the problems with this character was the toxic and abusive relationship with The Joker. Even if it’s not true to the comic books, it was time for this character to flourish on her own and this is exactly what we see in Birds Of Prey.
We are not only freeing Harley’s character from a toxic relationship but also sending a positive message of empowerment to everyone who has been a victim of domestic violence, both physical and mental.
Female characters
Traditionally, comic book characters are mostly male, so it’s clear why boys are usually the ones drawn to these stories. However, times have been changing and now comics are becoming inclusive by adding more female characters and it's worked because the female following has increased a lot in recent times. The DCEU didn’t have a female lead movie until 2017’s Wonder Woman and after the enormous success of that movie, it’s clear why they decided to continue developing more DC female characters. Who is the second most popular DC female character? Harley Quinn. This is why the movie is centered around her. Other female characters like Huntress and Black Canary, were amazing alongside Harley.
Dark and witty humor
One of the things that made this movie so much better than Suicide Squad was the brilliant script. The humor is dark but witty. I could only compare it to Deadpool which is also an R-rated film. The movie has a lot of violence and adult language, so I wouldn’t recommend it for children, but it’s tons of fun. Unlike previous DCEU movies, this one was very colorful and cartoonish. Harley is a hilarious, crazy, evil clown and that’s exactly that see in the movie.
You are going to hear different opinions about the movie, but the most consistent one has been that it's worth watching. So if you are looking to have a good laugh and women kicking ass, go see it now!
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