Harley Quinn is back in Birds of Prey, the latest entry in the increasingly quirky DC movie film canon. Margot Robbie returns to the role she played in Suicide Squad, and this time, it looks like she’s working with much better material. Birds of Prey teams Robbie’s Harley with Black Canary (Jurnee Smollett-Bell), Huntress (Mary Elizabeth Winstead), and Renee Montoya (Rosie Perez), as the ass-kicking women band together to save Cassandra Cain (Ella Jay Basco) from the evil Roman Sionis, aka Black Mask (Ewan McGregor), and Victor Zsasz (Chris Messina). Watch the Birds of Prey trailer below.

Birds of Prey Trailer

Birds of Prey and the Fantabulous Emancipation of One Harley Quinn (that’s the full title, but don’t worry, you don’t have to use it) looks fun. It also looks like a much-needed course-correction from the nuclear waste dump that was Suicide Squad. Margot Robbie’s Harley Quinn is no longer saddled with her mad love with Jared Leto’s tattooed Joker, which is the biggest plus. Having Harley strike out on her own, and then team up with some other major female DC characters, is a good idea, and the cast is solid.

The look and energy of the movie is appealing as well, with director Cathy Yan bringing a lot of style to what’s on display here. Of course, trailers can be deceptive. We all thought the Suicide Squad trailers were good, too – remember? And then the movie itself arrived, and it was so bad we all had to call out sick from work for three weeks and recuperate in bed.

But I’m optimistic about this film. DC and Warner Bros. have slowly realized that it’s better to make movies that work on their own rather than build cinematic universes, enabling them to release Joker, a film not connected to this at all. Then there’s James Gunn’s The Suicide Squad, which also features Robbie as Harley but is also unconnected from Birds of Prey. All of this is fine. Let the films speak for themselves.

Here’s the Birds of Prey synopsis:

You ever hear the one about the cop, the songbird, the psycho and the mafia princess? “Birds of Prey (And the Fantabulous Emancipation of One Harley Quinn)” is a twisted tale told by Harley herself, as only Harley can tell it. When Gotham’s most nefariously narcissistic villain, Roman Sionis, and his zealous right-hand, Zsasz, put a target on a young girl named Cass, the city is turned upside down looking for her. Harley, Huntress, Black Canary and Renee Montoya’s paths collide, and the unlikely foursome have no choice but to team up to take Roman down.

Birds of Prey opens February 7, 2020.

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