Rating summary

Movie		3.0
Video		4.5
Audio		4.0
Extras		3.0
Overall		3.0

Birds of Prey (And the Fantabulous Emancipation of One Harley Quinn) Blu-ray Movie Review

OR: How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Leave the Joker

Reviewed by Randy Miller III May 12, 2020

Wildly unpredictable and gleefully violent, Cathy Yan's Birds of Prey is a film that revels in sharp contrast. On paper, it reads almost nothing at all like most of DC's recent live-action superhero blockbusters, careening wildly between scenes (and sometimes shots) with reckless abandon, and probably doesn't even care whether or not you're along for the ride. Ironically, this film also shares the least similarities with a controversial pair of anti-hero films it's most closely tied to: 2016's poorly-received Suicide Squad and last year's surprisingly great Joker. Yet while Birds of Prey feels somewhat unique in that sense, it suffers from the same familiar problems as DC's less impressive outings: a feeble script, pretty weak supporting characters, and almost no commitment to tonal balance. But hey, girl power!

To be fair, Birds of Prey tries desperately to hide its most obvious weaknesses as part of the madcap fun and actually succeeds a few times. It's quite literally a continuation of Suicide Squad from a narrative sense, picking up soon after the Enchantress' defeat and a rather nasty break-up between Harley Quinn (Margot Robbie, returning) and Joker AKA "Mr. J" AKA "Puddin'", who never appears on-screen. Told completely from the perspective of Ms. Quinn, Birds of Prey's sloppy screenplay rears its head immediately: it's told in almost random order in a vain attempt to match her impulsive behavior, often backtracking or cutting away to Family Guy-grade gags that seem cute enough at first but get old quickly. Add to that a metric ton of hand-holding voice-over narration, which is even extended to a few visual cues designed to link characters and subplots that would otherwise get lost in the candy-colored chaos.

Nonetheless, Birds of Prey has immediate strengths in its corner including a fittingly over-the-top lead performance. Margot Robbie (who also co-produced the film) lights up the screen as Harley and, even if most of her most likable traits are borrowed from Arleen Sorkin's vocal performance in Batman: The Animated Series, she maintains that tricky balancing act between playful impishness and destructive chaos. Many of the supporting characters are given either thankless roles -- mostly walking clichés played for laughs, such as tough-talking detective Renee Montoya (Rosie Perez) and ultra-dull vigilante The Huntress (Mary Elizabeth Winstead) -- or are simply all over the map like crime lord Roman Sionis (Ewan McGregor). Somewhere in the middle are more balanced and memorable characters like singer-turned-badass Black Canary (Jurnee Smollett-Bell) and Sinaris' right-hand man Victor Zsasz (Chris Messina).

The inarguable highlights of Birds of Prey, however, are its outstanding appearance, the free-wheeling (yet often overcooked) unpredictability of its plot, and no shortage of kinetic action scenes that really amp up the "wow" factor when its script falls short. I'll admit to enjoying myself more often than not despite the film's shortcomings, but it's simply a decent movie trying to pass itself off as something much more electrifying and memorable.

Birds of Prey did respectable business at the box office back in January and, at some point between then and home video, has undergone Edge of Tomorrow syndrome and been renamed at least once for maximum confusion -- the new official one includes that lengthy subtitle and sounds more like a Fiona Apple album. Either way, Warner Bros.' new Blu-ray is sure to satisfy established fans with a strong A/V presentation and a handful of decent to great extras that might just sway those stuck on the fence. A 4K edition is also available and will be reviewed in the near future.

Birds of Prey (And the Fantabulous Emancipation of One Harley Quinn) Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

Shot digitally at 3.4K resolution with a true 4K interpositive, Birds of Prey is a visual knockout that even plays well in 1080p format. Image detail and color balance are both fantastic with plenty of depth and strong saturation, from the breakaway "graffiti" gags to colorful costumes and Harley's glittery shootout at the police station. Warner Bros.' Blu-ray has almost no trouble handling just about everything the film throws at it, rarely displaying clear signs of compression artifacts or harsh banding on all but the most extreme gradients. Even the film's extremely foggy climax comes off relatively unscathed. While I wasn't the biggest fan of Birds of Prey's violent mood swings from a storytelling sense, its gleefully chaotic visual design -- which ranges from bright and beautiful outdoor cityscapes to dimly-lit nighttime exteriors and almost everything in-between -- is beautifully rendered and perfectly supports the fine cinematography of Matthew Libatique (Requiem for a Dream, Mother!). Overall, it's a fine presentation for those still tied to Blu-ray...even though its 4K counterpart (review forthcoming) will obviously be the better option for videophiles.

Birds of Prey (And the Fantabulous Emancipation of One Harley Quinn) Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

Although the default Dolby Atmos track seems mixed a little low (although not as bad as most Disney releases), when dialed up several notches it offers more than a few beefy sonic surprises. Dialogue is slightly buried during certain conversations but expands to the surround channels when the situation demands it, from fast-paced chase sequences to plenty of hard-hitting brawls. Of course, background effects play a pretty big role as well, including the props used during said fights and any number of random cutaways. Like the story itself, this mix is often unpredictable and varies wildly depending on its mood, while frequent use of height channels often creates the effective "sonic bubble" that frequently defines the Atmos format. Those not equipped for that yet will instead enjoy a respectable 7.1 mix that features a nearly identical sonic experience save for the discrete height effects and, like its slightly more robust brother, also features great use of LFE and rear channel activity. Although I was not a fan of the film's too-frequent use of pop songs in what felt like the wrong moments, they at least carry enough weight to dominate when needed.

Optional subtitles are included during the film; these are formatted perfectly and fit within the 2.39:1 frame.

Birds of Prey (And the Fantabulous Emancipation of One Harley Quinn) Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

This two-disc release (one Blu-ray, one DVD) arrives in a dual-hubbed keepcase with vivid cover artwork, a matching slipcover, and a Digital Copy redemption code. Extras are on par with other recent DC live action titles.

• Birds Eye View Mode - This feature-length extra takes quite a few short detours that explore basic aspects of the production including casting, costume design, special effects, and more with direct participation from key members of the cast and crew. These sporadic breakaways are visually well put together and feature colorful background graphics and other decorations while the film moves aside to a small corner of the screen.

• Birds of Prey: Birds of a Feather (8:29) - A pretty standard behind-the-scenes overview featuring star/producer Margot Robbie, director Cathy Yen, producer Sue Kroll, and writer Christina Hodson as they talk about the project's earlier development, running with a hard-R rating, assembling the cast, and more.

• Romanesque (4:58) - The same participants, also joined by actors Ewan McGregor and Mary Elizabeth Winstead, briefly discuss the main baddie Roman Sionis and his volatile personality.

• A Love/Skate Relationship (4:29) - Birds of Prey's tough-as-nails stunt team and technical advisor Rachel Rotten wax nostalgic about the sport of roller derby and its place in the film.

• Grime and Crime (10:38) - A piece about the film's colorful and diverse production design, which was headed by K.K. Barrett and features a wildly different version of Gotham City.

• Sanity is Sooo Last Season (7:39) - Familiar faces are joined by costume designer Erin Benach, who speaks about Harley Quinn and company's colorful threads, how they tie into their respective characters, and trying to avoid "the male gaze" while, you know, still looking super cute and kicking ass.

• Wild Nerds (6:03) - Visual effects supervisor Greg Steele and others chat about the special effects, which were an admirable attempt to keep things grounded in reality. No real hyenas were allowed on set, obviously.

• Gag Reel (2:02)

Birds of Prey (And the Fantabulous Emancipation of One Harley Quinn) Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

Cathy Yan's Birds of Prey is a step up from Suicide Squad, but that doesn't necessarily make it a great movie. It's at least tighter than Aquaman and way more fun than Joker, yet still suffers from a weak script and a narrative flow that often shoots itself in the foot. It's still just fine in small doses, though, and the film's visual design -- not to mention Margot Robbie's enthusiastic lead performance and the terrific fight choreography -- often elevate its weaker moments to at least tolerable territory. Perhaps the strongly hinted sequel might finally hit the sweet spot? Until then, Warner Bros.' Blu-ray serves up a good-to-great A/V presentation and solid extras, most of which should satisfy established fans. Birds of Prey is clearly recommended to that crowd, but newcomers may want to try before they buy.