Early reactions to Birds of Prey (And The Fantabulous Emancipation of One Harley Quinn) have arrived. Margot Robbie’s Harley Quinn is finally back after Suicide Squad, only this time she’s got some new friends. Directed by Cathy Yan (Dead Pigs) from a screenplay by Christina Hodson (Bumblebee), Birds of Prey pairs the eponymous character - who’s only just broken up with The Joker - with a team of vigilantes that includes Huntress (Mary Elizabeth Winstead) and Black Canary (Jurnee Smollett-Bell), as well as Gotham City cop Renee Montoya (Rosie Perez). Together, the four must protect a young woman named Cassandra Cain (Ella Jay Basco), after she incurs the wrath of a sadistic crime lord who prefers to go by Black Mask (Ewan McGregor).

The marketing for Birds of Prey has teased a DC movie that’s as off the walls as Harley Quinn herself, only this time with the freedom allotted by an R-rating and a lack of studio interference (as Suicide Squad infamously suffered). And judging by the early impressions, those who’re eagerly looking forward to the movie shouldn’t be disappointed by what it has to offer, either.

With the social media embargo now lifted, Twitter reactions to Birds of Prey are quickly pouring in. You can read a number of them in the space below.

Clearly, Warner Bros. was confident about Birds of Prey, which is why they lifted the social media embargo a week and a half ahead of the film’s release in theaters. They weren’t wrong to be either, if these reactions are any indication. Pretty much across the board, people agree Robbie is once again terrific as Harley Quinn and benefits from not only getting to explore the character’s inner psychology, but also participating in some wild R-rated action scenes that are already being compared to the fights in John Wick and The Raid. The all-female musical artist soundtrack is receiving similarly universal praise so far, with many feeling its compliments the movie’s themes about sisterhoods and found families. On the opposite side of the spectrum, a number of early reactions agree Birds of Prey has pacing and tonal issues, especially in the first act. They also dig the Birds of Prey and Harley’s dynamic, but came away wishing the film was more of a true ensemble piece as promised.

Between its Deadpool-esque sensibilities (this is a movie where Harley Quinn gets her super-powers from sniffing cocaine, after all), it will be interesting to see what the larger response to Birds of Prey is like. The film is projected to open lower than other recent DC movies, but those numbers could easily rise if the actual reviews are as enthusiastic as the social media response. Birds of Prey also has a far lower budget than movies like Suicide Squad and Aquaman (under $100 million), so it doesn’t need to break the bank to become a commercial success anyway. If there’s anything else to take away from these reactions, it’s that the colorful mayhem of Birds of Prey (And The Fantabulous Emancipation of One Harley Quinn) is very much the antithesis to last year’s Joker… which is kinda perfect, when you think about.

Source: Various [See the above links]

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