Birds of Prey (And the Fantabulous Emancipation of One Harley Quinn) may not be doing that well in terms of box office, but the Margot Robbie-led flick is arguably the best entry in the DC Extended Universe thus far. Starting in 2013 via Zack Snyder and Henry Cavill’s Man of Steel, Warner Bros.’ own superhero franchise has been around for quite a while now. It has had its fair share of troubles, especially when it comes to its divisive reception. Now, after a re-evaluation, it appears that the DCEU has finally found its footing.

As one of the standouts from the critically panned (but financially successful) 2016 movie Suicide Squad, fans were eager to know when Robbie would reprise the role of Harley Quinn. Following a few planned spinoffs that have yet to make production progress, she was finally confirmed in Cathy Yan’s Birds of Prey, which teams her up with an entirely different crew against a new antagonist in Ewan McGregor’s Roman Sionis/Black Mask.

Set in the DCEU continuity following her split from the Joker, Harley bands together with Huntress/Helena Bertinelli (Mary Elizabeth Winstead), Dinah Laurel Lance/Black Canary (Jurnee Smollett-Bett), Renee Montoya (Rosie Perez), and Cassandra Cain (Ella Jay Basco) as they all strive for their personal emancipations. Birds of Prey is an enjoyable movie with a clear plot, strong action sequences, and healthy amount of humor — making it superior to the other DCEU entries so far.

DCEU Movies Have Been Very Inconsistent

Since its inception in 2013, the DCEU has rolled out a total of eight films — most of which were financially profitable, but things are a bit different when it comes to their critical reception. Several of the franchise’s releases have been downright controversial for a mix of reasons. Movies such as Man of Steel and Batman V Superman: Dawn of Justice are regarded as divisive — some like it, while others deem them bad movies. There are also Justice League and Suicide Squad, plagued by production woes that included studio meddling and extensive reshoots; this compromised their directors’ visions, significantly affecting the films’ respective qualities.

After a rocky first few years, the DCEU franchise appears to finally be getting into the groove of things, thanks to some personnel changes and a DCEU plan re-evaluation. Since then, the series has rolled out fun and unique movies such as James Wan’s Aquaman and David F. Sandberg’s Shazam!. Still, Patty Jenkins’ Wonder Woman continues to be widely regarded as the DCEU’s best outing thus far, but even the smash hit wasn’t immune to having a generic third act like most comic book films, which had a negative impact on its quality.

Birds of Prey Is The Most Complete DCEU Film

DCEU’s Birds of Prey’s strength lies on its overall quality — each element of the Yan-directed film has been carefully executed for a much stronger final product. While the focus was largely on Harley (which makes sense considering that she’s really its leading lady), the movie did a great job shining a light on her supporting characters, who are all new to the DCEU. Granted that some would argue that they would’ve wanted more from the other Birds, but as an introductory outing, it did a great job establishing their characters, teasing enough of their respective histories so that audiences want to see where their future adventures will take them.

Aside from the heroes, Birds of Prey’s bad guys were also well done. McGregor perfectly played the eccentric Sionis who’s fueled by wanting to expand his criminal activities throughout Gotham. Meanwhile, Chris Messina’s Victor Zsasz was downright sadistic, making him the perfect right-hand man for Black Mask because they elevate each other’s brand of crazy. Admittedly, the film could’ve done more to differentiate their dynamic from past DCEU or comic book movie villains in general (there were several nods to their supposedly deeper personal relationship). Some might argue that the characters were one-dimensional villains, but for what it’s worth, the pair was a solid antagonist force to Harley and the rest of the Birds.

Finally, Birds of Prey was able to maintain a level of consistency throughout the whole film. Each act was properly defined, decorated with great meta-jokes from Harley and quirky action set pieces. Most comic book hero films fall apart at the end, typically because of CGI-filled action sequences with generic dialogue between heroes and villains that feel bland; however, this wasn’t the case for Birds of Prey. From the circus sequence, rollerblade/motorcycle and car chase, to its closing scene with the heroes enjoying their well-deserved Mexican food, Yan made sure that the final act of her DCEU film was anything but bland and uninventive.

Birds of Prey Is An Ideal DCEU Movie

With Marvel Studios kicking off the MCU five years before Warner Bros. got in the comic book franchise sandbox with their DC properties, one of the biggest talking point for DCEU (and other budding interconnected franchises) is how to differentiate itself from its predecessor. The MCU formula has already been well-established for quite a while (for better or worse), so the challenge is to create something that feels entirely different but still follows the same storytelling format necessary to build a cohesive universe. DCEU has had some solid entries that took advantage of the fact that it belonged to a bigger world, but nothing as good as a Birds of Prey. It effectively used what was previously established in the bigger DCEU without getting beholden to it. Harley’s arc was kickstarted by her breakup from the Joker, while the DCEU’s Batman was mentioned here and there. Meanwhile, it built on its own story with most of its key players’ new characters.

Birds of Prey also nailed the tone that the DCEU can thrive using. Much of the complaints about Justice League was that it was so watered down that the end result was almost similar to an MCU film — this approach was in response to criticisms about Batman V Superman supposedly being too dark to appeal to a broader audience. Birds of Prey proves that there’s a way to incorporate comedy into the DCEU without feeling like it’s a Marvel knock-off. It’s funny and witty, yet gritty and sometimes even downright brutal. In hindsight, it’s the film Suicide Squad wanted to be, but failed to accomplish.

-

Aside from Harley Quinn, there’s no word yet on when the rest of the cast of Birds of Prey (And the Fantabulous Emancipation of One Harley Quinn) will next grace the big screen, if ever. The movie sets up a couple of stories for the characters moving forward, but with its less than ideal box office, there’s no guarantee that audiences will see them any time soon. All that being said, its financial performance is by no means a reflection of the movie’s quality, because objectively, it’s one of the top-tier (if not the best) DCEU entries thus far.

More: Birds Of Prey Box Office: How DC Can Still Save The Movie

  • Wonder Woman 2 Release Date: 2020-12-25 The Batman Release Date: 2022-03-04 Suicide Squad 2 Release Date: 2021-08-06 Shazam! The Fury of the Gods Release Date: 2023-03-17 Black Adam Release Date: 2022-10-21 Super Pets Release Date: 2022-07-29 The Flash Movie Release Date: 2023-06-23 Aquaman 2 Release Date: 2023-12-25