Film Review: Birds of Prey: And the Fantabulous Emancipation of One Harley Quinn (15)

I'm sorry, kid. I'm just a terrible person, I guess.

Okay, let's start with the business of the film's title. A week after its release, Margot Robbie's star vehicle was rebranded Harley Quinn: Birds of Prey. Why? Because the original wittily rambling title was deemed a marketing disaster, misleading the cinema-going public with a lacklustre opening weekend the result. That whole critique makes sense. The character of Harley Quinn is more widely known than DC Comics' Birds of Prey crime-fighting all-girl trio, and this is a Harley-centric film, with the 'Birds' only connecting as a fighting force late in the day. On top of that, why would you do anything to dull Robbie's awards-baiting star power? Point is, the movie's box office has underwhelmed - sadly so, because whatever its name, this movie is really good fun.

You may remember Harley Quinn's DC Universe debut in Suicide Squad, as the Joker's chemically altered, bat-shit crazy and sociopathic girlfriend (one-time psychiatrist Harleen Quinzel). This time around she's split from her homicidal-clown boyfriend and is making a life for herself solo in Gotham City. Problem is she's chalked up numerous grudges against herself over the years and with Joker (her 'puddin') no longer there to supply protection, people are keen to act on said grudges in nasty ways. A particularly unpleasant nemesis comes in the form of Ewan McGregor's Roman Sionis aka Black Mask, a crime boss with a penchent for removing people's faces. With the prospect of having her life thus brutally truncated, Harley agrees to work for Sionis, specifically in tracking down a gemstone of unique significance. But mulitple factors including a relentless cop, an assassin with an agenda and a young pickpocket are going to complicate everything.

It's several years since the DCU abandoned their ideas of creating an integrated movie universe to rival Marvel's and the decision continues to pay off - creatively, if not in terms of box-office ker-ching. Directed with cohesion and flair by Cathy Yan, Birds of Prey puts to bed memories of Suicide Squad's messiness and allows Harley to exist in a crazy world all her own. Sure there are references to the Batman and Joker, but this is Ms Quinn's story first and last and she has a Gotham City to match her loopily criminal frame of mind. The location's traditionally grim aesthetic becomes a toxic carnival of colour, right from the point where Harley applies an explosive brand of closure to her relationship. The look is sustained throughout but never overdone, culminating in a showdown that's the perfect visual match for her character.

Harley Quinn is one of the roles Robbie was born to play (no wonder she committed so heavily on the production side) and she makes a lip-smacking meal of it. Given centre-stage and a fourth-wall breaking shtick similar to Ryan Reynolds in Deadpool, she's wickedly hilarious and gleefully violent (in a wham-kerpow cartoon sense), while still pulling 'endearing' and 'vulnerable' out of the bag too. So she's a psychopath - just maybe she's the semi-redeemable kind. Equipped with a great look, a flamboyant assortment of weaponry and the sharp-honed wit of Bumblebee writer Christina Hodson, she's got all she needs to bash an audience into giggling submission.

But front and centre though she is, there's more to this movie. We've got Ella Jay Sasco as the young jewel thief who reminds Harley of her younger self. Then there's Rosie Perez' determined law enforcer, Mary Elizabeth Winstead's lethal hit-woman and Jurnee Smollett Bell's conflicted gangster's moll. Combine them and there's the makings of a kick-ass girl gang I'd watch in their own adventure. (That they'll get their own outing based on current ticket sales seems an unfortunate long-shot.) Add a slew of entertaining bad-guys, headed up by McGregor's vicious kingpin - one scene goes alarmingly dark to set up his credentials as a worthy adversary - and you have a very enjoyable concoction.

That murderously grim scene aside, this is a storytelling riot. It's undeniably full of Cert.15/R-rated violence, but the quality matches the movie's Looney Tunes-inspired opening in sheer cartoon relish. The action scenes are tightly shot, the editing of a complex timeline mostly spot-on and there's sufficient breathing space to get to know our merrily-deranged protagonist a little bit better. Birds of Prey, Harley Quinn, whatever it's called - this is a good time at the movies. If last year's Joker gave us malevolent clowning, Harley - with the help of some unlikely friends - reminds us of the fun kind.

Gut Reaction: Gut laughter, high entertainment factor and loving the look of it all.

Memorable Moment: Harley's 'rescue' mission. 

Ed's Verdict: 7.5/10. Very satisfying popcorn with enough wit, style and personality (not least due to fab Margot) to warrant a second viewing.