15 Sep Birds of Prey and the Fantabulous Emancipation of One Harley Quinn (2020)

The 14 Directives of the sisterhood

I’ve watched a number of films that are centred on choreographed ironic violence that failed to engage. I’ve also watched a number ‘female empowerment’ films — some of which are highly celebrated. One of these even was initiated by our Ms Robbie. These all slip way, both as films that impress nor support core values.

(The perspective in this commenter is what is now historically called second wave feminism.)

This film scored on both points in my estimation. Robbie succeeds in representing a relatable class of beings. This is less a cartoon than her other Harley Quinn appearances. This fills the bill of controlled human response, normally presented as revenge. Here it meanders in emotion and opportunistic sisterhood in a way that seemed real to me. So she earns the balletic violence.

And in so doing, gives it an energy we can invest in. Vaughn’s escapades are model railroad towns in comparison.

I remember seeing Robbie in ‘Zachery’ and knew then that we had someone that could matter. I don’t know what she will do next, whether the path is like Ana’s or Scarlett’s. But I hope she builds on this energy if not the character.

Posted in 2025

Ted’s Evaluation — 3 of 3: Worth watching.

IMDB