It seems as though ever since DC has dropped the Marvel approach of world-building, their movies have gotten far better in quality. No longer is there a need to connect everything, as singular stories have taken the most precedent. Although the above is true, attempts are still being made to correct past mistakes and salvage the central universe. Written by Christina Hodson and directed by Cathy Han, Birds of Prey is a fantastic film centred around Harley Quinn and a few new female heroes. As a pseudo-sequel to Suicide Squad, this is is a fun, action-filled romp that breathes new life into a sometimes rocky franchise.

After a sudden and devastating break-up from The Joker, Harley Quinn must survive Gotham with a new target on her back. Facing off against the bombastic crime boss known as Black Mask, she must become unexpected allies with a group of highly-skilled women. Margot Robbie leads the picture as the aforementioned Quinn, with Mary Elizabeth Winstead as Huntress, Jurnee Smollett-Bell as Black Canary, Rosie Perez as Renee Montoya, Ella Jay Basco as Cassandra Cain and Ewan McGregor as the over-the-top bad guy that they must all defeat.

Unlike most comic book films, this is an R-rated affair. This means that blood is splattered throughout and swear words are spewed aplenty. In the wrong hands, this could have been unnecessarily excessive and seen as a gimmick. Thankfully, this element acts as an injection of added flavour to this very entertaining product. Self-aware and joyously thrilling, there is a lot of fun to be had watching this movie.

Whether it’s the eclectic humour or the fantastic action, there are many scenes that will leave you with a huge smile on your face. Most notably, the choreography of the set-pieces is better than almost all superhero films. There is a constant kinetic energy that flows through every movement and the camera holds steady for us to see it all. It is reminiscent of John Wick and allows for sequences that stand head and shoulders above those from similar releases. These moments are visually stunning too, not only because they are shot well but also because of the bright colour that is used to accent the photography. However, spectacle can only take a movie so far as characters are always absolutely vital. Thankfully, that is covered too.

Although there is an ensemble to be found, this is undoubtedly a Harley Quinn film. Her narrative is the constant through-line and everyone we meet is someone that interacts with her in some way. Robbie is great in the role and really does embody an insane personality peppered with redeeming qualities. The supporting cast is wonderful too as each of the women beside her adds something unique to the unravelling tale. With all this in mind, the stand out performance comes in the shape of Ewan McGregor as the delightfully campy Black Mask.

McGregor dominates every scene that he is in. He clearly relishes every second, over-acting in the best way possible. His character’s motivations are basic but he fuels his persona with so much vigour that it doesn’t really matter. The most impressive part is that he is quite scary in moments too, expressing a diabolical man that is more layered than meets the eye.

If we move to the negatives, there are a few to be found. The movie is needlessly complex at times. It is not quite a mess but a more direct approach would have been simpler and stronger for the story. Also, the final set-pieces are incredible but the last moments themselves are a little rushed and anticlimactic.

Behind the camera, the direction by Cathy Yan is solid as is the script by Christina Hodson. The clear cohesive vision from these women is exactly what the film needed. Empowering yet subtle in many ways, the production is imbued with an honest and confident voice. Furthermore, as touched on earlier, the cinematography is excellent and ties many of the action sequences together. The music is superb too as the use of existing songs is not anywhere near as awful as it was in Suicide Squad.

DC has now given us their best movie since Man of Steel. Using a smaller scale to project a lively caper, Birds of Prey is far more impressive than anyone could have guessed. With Harley Quinn next showing up in the second Suicide Squad film, there is a very good chance that James Gunn successfully carries the torch of this captivating character.