Harley Quinn: Birds of Prey, originally entitled Birds of Prey and the Fantabulous Emancipation of One Harley Quinn, opened to mostly positive reviews but unfortunately was considered a box office flop. However, since opening weekend, the praise has continued and fans are already looking forward to seeing the Birds of Prey on the big screen once again.
Fans of the film will likely have to wait a couple of years, if not longer, before receiving any word of a sequel, but there are other ways in which they can get their women-team-up-movie fix. Here are ten such movies to watch after Birds of Prey.
D.E.B.S.
The film D.E.B.S. is about a secret spy organization that recruits women based on their SAT test scores. A team is put together with Max as the leader and Janet, Dominique, and Amy under her. While on a mission to surveil Lucy Diamond, a notorious criminal, Amy and Lucy fall for each other and run away together only for Amy to be rescued by her fellow agents.
To save face, the agency claims that Amy was merely held captive by Lucy. In the end, Amy renounces the agency’s claim and once again runs away with Lucy. D.E.B.S. is a fun film that Birds of Prey fans will love because they both feature strong women fighting crime and women in leadership roles.
The Heat
The Heat is a buddy action comedy film about FBI Agent Ashburn who is assigned to work with Boston Cop Mullins. The two, in spite initially not getting along, are assigned to work a case taking down a local drug lord. The pair are brought closer together as the case progresses and they ultimately learn to work together in spite of their major differences.
The Heat is for Birds of Prey fans who especially loved the humor in the latter film. The Heat is equal parts comedy and action, with hilarity ensuing often as a result of the action.
The Powerpuff Girls Movie
Another old but good movie like D.E.B.S., The Powerpuff Girls Movie is for any fan of Birds of Prey who may be looking for a bit of childhood nostalgia in their all-female team-up fix. The movie is a prequel to the original Powerpuff Girls television show, chronicling the girls’ creation, the rise of their nemesis Mojo Jojo, and the initial struggle the girls had in gaining acceptance from Townsville.
Like Birds of Prey, The Powerpuff Girls Movie is the origin story of how the group was formed. Both also showcase different girls or women with different personalities, talents, and strengths coming together and bringing each other up rather than tearing each other down.
Hot Pursuit
Hot Pursuit is another buddy action comedy film about local police officer Cooper being assigned to look after the widowed wife of a drug dealer so that she can testify against a cartel leader. Cooper is viewed as too strict and by-the-book, to the point of being incompetent and Daniella, the wife, is viewed as ditzy and an airhead.
Both women prove to each other that they are more than capable of fending for themselves and each other while taking down the cartel leader in the process. Again, the film is equal parts comedy and action, making this another great film for Birds of Prey fans who also enjoy comedy while watching women be awesome.
Hustlers
Hustlers is a film based on the true story of strippers Ramona, Destiny, Mercedes, and Annabelle, financially struggling through The Great Recession. The four women come together after leaving their jobs at the strip club and work as a group to seduce and drug Wall Street men to steal their money.
While not an action film like others on this list, it still features women coming together in a high stakes situation. Furthermore, these women can be viewed as antiheroes, bringing the corrupt men of Wall Street what they deserve through morally ambiguous means.
Annihilation
Annihilation is a science fiction, horror, and adventure film about Lena who joins a group of women scientists on an expedition into an environmental disaster zone called “The Shimmer,” which was created by a meteor. They learn that “The Shimmer” refracts everything inside it, from radio waves to living DNA.
This film has more of a slow burn than others on this list but the action sequences that do occur will have viewers at the edge of their seats. While Birds of Prey did not have any suspense and was not a slow burn, fans will still enjoy the action sequences featuring women who are trained in combat.
Widows
Widows is another film in which women join together and commit crimes, but like Hustlers, these crimes are committed out of necessity. Four women become widowed after their husbands, who were a group of notorious criminals, are all killed in a police shootout. A crime boss then goes after these widows for the debts that the men owed to him, leading the women to conduct a heist.
This film brings the action just like Birds of Prey does, meaning that it is a good, two-hour fix for viewers’ female team-up movie needs.
Ghostbusters
This all-female reboot of the Ghostbusters franchise tells the story of old friends and paranormal enthusiasts Abby Yates and Erin Gilbert who form a ghostbusting agency with the help of engineer Jillian Holtzmann and former MTA staffer Patty Tolan after they each have encounters with ghosts.
If viewers enjoyed Harley’s quirkiness and physical comedy in Birds of Prey, they are sure to love the 2016 version of Ghostbusters, which features Saturday Night Live alumni Kate McKinnon, Leslie Jones, and Kristen Wiig, and well-known comedic actress Melissa McCarthy, each of which has their own quirky brand of humor.
Ocean’s Eight
Ocean’s Eight is both a sequel and a spin-off to Steven Soderbergh’s Ocean’s franchise. It follows Debbie Ocean, recently released from prison, who wants to conduct her biggest heist by stealing priceless gems from the Met Gala. She enlists a ragtag group of women including a hacker, a fence, a jewelry maker, and a pickpocket, among others, to aid her in the heist.
While not incredibly action-packed like Widows, the film still has a fair amount of action and makes the audiences find themselves rooting for these women who, while strong on their own, are stronger when they work together, much like Birds of Prey.
Charlie’s Angels
Charlie’s Angels is a reboot of the television show of the same name from the 1970s and the two films from the early 2000s starring Cameron Diaz, Lucy Liu, and Drew Barrymore. The 2019 film, written and directed by Elizabeth Banks, establishes the Angels as an agency, rather than just a trio of agents. It is about an engineer who joins forces with the Angels after she finds out the company for which she works is planning to sell dangerous technology to consumers.
This film is action-packed, featuring strong women competent in their field of espionage. Films like the 2019 Charlie’s Angels and Birds of Prey are a celebration of strong women, putting the emphasis on powerful actresses to lead these movies with important roles.
