Birds Of Prey: The Emancipation Of Harley Quinn
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Birds Of Prey: The Emancipation Of Harley Quinn (mehr)
Regie:
Cathy YanDrehbuch:
Christina HodsonKamera:
Matthew LibatiqueMusik:
Daniel PembertonBesetzung:
Margot Robbie, Rosie Perez, Mary Elizabeth Winstead, Jurnee Smollett, Ewan McGregor, Ella Jay Basco, Chris Messina, Daniel Bernhardt, Charlene Amoia (mehr)Streaming (5)
Inhalte(1)
Schon mal den Witz über die Polizistin, die Blondine, die Psychopathin und die Mafia-Erbin gehört? Birds of Prey: The Emancipation of Harley Quinn ist eine ziemlich abgedrehte Geschichte, von Harley höchstpersönlich auf unnachahmliche Art erzählt. Als einer der schrecklichsten Schurken Gothams, Roman Sionis, und seine sadistische Rechte Hand, Zsasz, ein junges Mädchen namens Cass ins Visier nimmt, wird die gesamte Unterwelt der Stadt auf den Kopf gestellt, um sie aufzuspüren. Die Wege von Harley, Huntress, Canary und Renee Montoya kreuzen sich: Der ungleichen Viererbande bleibt nichts anderes übrig, als sich zusammenzuraufen, um Roman zu besiegen. (Warner Bros. DE)
(mehr)Kritiken (22)
In der letzten Zeit lobte ich einige Castings, hier ist es aber ausgesprochen schlecht. Die vergessene Komikerin aus den 90ern Rosie Perez spielt hier wirklich eine ernste Polizistin? Ewan McGregor einen Schuft mit dem Messer am Hals eines kleinen Mädchens? Und die fade Besetzung der Gruppe Birds of Prey, die wegen einer mangelhaften Charakterisierung in den Hintergrund gerückt wird? Die Kombination der absichtlich kindischen "Verspieltheit“, welche die Zuschauer*innen nicht zum Lachen bringt, und der ernsteren Momente, bei denen man zittert (das Ausziehen des Mädchens in der Bar), ist auch schief gelaufen. Und eine konstante Nachlässigkeit gegenüber der schöpferischen Vision, eine dumme und gefühllose Regie.
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Girlpowerproklamationen oder Tritte dorthin, wo es Männern am meisten weh tut, stellen überhaupt nicht das Problem dieses Filmes dar. Meiner Ansicht nach könnte es in einer idealen Welt mehr davon geben und sie könnten auch andere Ziele in Augenschein nehmen als solch offensichtliche wie aufgemotzte, verblödete Sidekicks oder generische Bösewichte (braucht Gotham wirklich einen anderen sadistischen Gangster mit Papi-Komplexen?). Harley ist geradezu wie ein Handbuch. Narrativ und selbstreflexiv lehnt sich dieser Streifen an Deadpool an, mitsamt unzuverlässiger Wendungen oder chaotischer Streitigkeiten. Doch bevor der Film irgendeinen Kurs einnimmt, verlangsamen diese Momente vom Typ "fangen wir doch von neu an" das Tempo erheblich. Dieses erhält Film wird durch die frechen und einfallsreichen Choreografien von Chad Stahelski, die in sich mehr Glanz und Verspieltheit beinhalten, als das gesamte Drehbuch von Christina Hodson. Jenes weißt nämlich Probleme auf, eine triviale Geschichte mit einem Hauch von Spannung zu erzählen und fotogene Emanzipationsfigürchen in Figuren umzuwandeln. Den Eindruck, dass das DC-Universum unter einer brutalen Fragmentierung der Persönlichkeit leidet, wird dieser erträgliche und vollends nutzlose Part nicht wegzuwischen vermögen. Wenn wir über Batman sprechen ... Mädels, Donnervetter, ich weiß schon gar nicht mehr, worüber wir hier eigentlich reden. Aber das macht nichts, wir lackieren unsere Nägel, trinken einen Margarita und fühlen uns gut, dass die Strawmen einen Tritt dorthin bekommen, wo es ganz besonders weh tut.
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Früher Birds of Prey - The Emancipation of Harley Quinn, heute Harley Quinn: Birds of Prey, ist eine durch und durch unterhaltsame Actionkomödie. Allein die Plakate und die großartigen Trailer machten deutlich, wie lustig der Film werden würde. Ich fand den Trailer zu Björks klassischem Song "It's Oh So Quiet" absolut genial. Margot Robbie war offenbar die einzige Überlebende der berüchtigten ersten Suicide Squad, und damit sie sich nicht langweilt, bekam sie ein anderes Team zum Spielen. Diesmal die Mädchenbesetzung von Birds of Prey. Der Bösewicht ist der hervorragende Ewan McGregor, und es fehlt nicht an Reminiszenzen an Hits wie den Klassiker "Diamonds Are a Girl's Best Friend". Ich brauche nicht zu erklären, dass in Comics die Figuren anders und in Zeichentrickfilmen wieder anders usw. funktionieren. Es handelt sich um eine klassische Handlungsformel, die zeigt, wie sich ein zuvor negativer Charakter langsam zu einem positiven Charakter wandelt. Und das mag ich am liebsten. Vom Genre her lässt sich das schön spielen, es zwinkert den Lesern sequentieller Kunst zu (auch Mr. Beaver darf nicht fehlen), und setzt sich in Ruhe mit allem auseinander, was in den DC-Filmen aufgeräumt und für eine Weile in den Schrank gesperrt werden musste.
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Ein jauchzender harter Spaß, so wie in den Comics, wo die von Jokers Kette losgebundene Harley wie verrückt rumtobt. Den Film wird man wahrscheinlich viel mit Deadpool vergleichen, teilweise zu Recht. Für mich sind aber Birds of Prey ein bisschen besser als Deadpool, in dem zu viele pubertäre Witze waren. Hier ist nämlich alles im richtigen Verhältnis; der Film ist sehr bunt, reich an allem Möglichen – von Glitzer bis zu gebrochenen Beinen; er hält schön beisammen und es ragt nichts aus ihm hervor. Die Königin ist hier natürlich Margot Robbie, die alles gibt und ihre Rolle so genießt, wie ich sie genossen habe. Außer dem prima verrückten Psychohumor muss ich auch die Regie loben, und vor allem die perfekte Choreografie der Actionszenen. So etwas Gelungenes habe ich zum letzten Mal wahrscheinlich in John Wick: Kapitel 3 gesehen. Ich würde sagen, dass dieser Film zu den Werken gehören wird, welche die Zuschauer*innen mehr als die Kritiker*innen mögen. Gleichzeitig sage ich aber: Na und?___PS: An den Actionszenen hat Chad Stahelski gearbeitet! Das erklärt alles.
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Wow, ein weiterer unglaublich energiearmer Actionfilm, der versucht, die dünnen Handlungsstränge, die unzureichende Charakterisierung der Charaktere, die undynamischen Actionszenen und die mickrigen Ideen mit einem angeblich coolen, aufgepeppten Stil, Farbenpracht und modernem "Girl Power"-Trend auszugleichen (hier bis zum Äußersten getrieben, da alle männlichen Charaktere im Film entweder schmutzige Kriminelle, Lumpen oder Verräter sind). Nach dem absolut liebenswerten Suicide Squad bin ich ohne jegliche Erwartungen ins Kino gegangen, aber was soll's. Die völlig fragmentierte Handlung springt unbeholfen hin und her, hat keine Atmosphäre und nervt mit ihrer Inkohärenz. Die Charaktere sind im besten Fall uralte Klischees aus Kriminalszenen (übersehener Polizist, rachsüchtige Mafiatochter), im schlimmsten Fall sind sie einfach nur da und tun hier und da etwas (eine Bar-Sängerin und eine Diebin mit einem Diamanten im Bauch). Am meisten verstehe ich nicht, warum wir ausgerechnet der Heldin aus der Paarung der Schurken - dem gekünstelt femininen Bösewicht, der Menschen tötet und ziemlich mies ist, und der gekünstelt infantilen Heldin, die Menschen tötet und ziemlich hinterhältig ist - die Daumen drücken sollten. Nur, weil es der Film so vorgibt? Vielleicht nur, weil Harley bereits in zwei Filmen eingeführt wurde und im Vergleich dazu der schwache Bösewicht Black Mask, dessen Unerheblichkeit Ewan McGregor verzweifelt mit übertriebenem Spiel ausgleicht, eine Enttäuschung für den Film war. Manche könnten sagen, McGregor hatte einfach nichts anderes zur Verfügung, da das Drehbuch ihm nichts zu bieten hatte. Ich sage, es gab eine einzige Option - die Rolle nicht anzunehmen. Und ich rate davon ab, diesen Film überhaupt anzusehen.
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Der Film Birds of Prey (und Harley Quinn selbst) ist wie eine mit Glitzer bestäubte betrunkene Prostituierte mit einer dicken Schicht Make-up - auf den ersten Blick scheint sie attraktiv, aber bei genauer Betrachtung wirkt sie nur abstoßend und klebrig. Die banale flache Handlung des Films tarnt sich mit einem komplexen Erzählstil, meist unklare Charaktere zeigen darin nervtötende schauspielerische Leistungen und die Actionszenen können sich nur selten vom Genre losreißen, aber zumindest entspricht die pompös schrille visuelle Stilisierung ihrer verrückten und offen verkommenen Anti-Heldin. Bei dieser Kombination aus beeindruckendem Glanz, Unmittelbarkeit und erzwungener Albernheit, die von der Ästhetik schmutziger Straßen und verfallender, versiffter Orte überschattet wird, ist es aber wahrscheinlich genauso unterhaltsam wie in einem Nachtclub zu randalieren, einen Schnaps nach dem anderen zu schlucken und dann wild in die Handtasche zu kotzen (was auch im Film passiert). Jemandem kann solche Art von Spaß gefallen, da gibt es keinen Zweifel.
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Bei Birds of Prey muss ich (zum x-ten Mal) sagen, dass es manchmal schwierig ist, einen Film auf einer Fünf-Sterne-Skala richtig zu bewerten. Die Mädchenversion von Deadpool ist nicht so schlecht wie andere Filme aus dem DC-Universum. Der Film bietet eine ordentliche Portion flotter Action, schreckt nicht vor schwarzem Humor oder blutigen Szenen zurück und arbeitet mit einigen interessanten visuellen und erzählerischen Techniken. Andererseits hatte ich während des Films das Gefühl, dass man mehr daraus hätte machen können - die humoristische Seite schien mir sehr übertrieben, und die Charaktere waren ziemlich fade (Huntress und Cass hätten besser entwickelt werden können). Im Kino geht der Film sehr schnell vorbei, keine Frage, aber um es auf eine dumme und leicht chauvinistische Art und Weise zu sagen - Birds of Prey hatte im Gegensatz zu Deadpool keine Eier.
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Filmchallenge in Quarantäne - Lieblingsschauspielerinnen, Margot Robbie. Für die Rolle der verrückten und tragikomischen Antiheldin Harley Quinn wurde Margot Robbie geboren. Sie hat mir schon in Suicide Squad gefallen, und ich bin froh, dass sie Raum für einen eigenen Film erhielt. Trotzdem fehlt mir darin ganz wesentlich Joker, er hätte keine weitere Person sein müssen, doch die beiden sind ein so perfekt toxisches Paar, von denen es im realen und fiktiven filmischen und nichtfilmischen Leben wirklich wenige gibt. Es reicht nicht, nur davon zu sprechen und auf ihn zu verweisen, er ist von Harley Quinn nicht wegzudenken. Die Abenteuer und Eskapaden der Harley Quinn gehören zu diesem scheinbar Fröhlicheren im Universum DC, deshalb muss der Zuschauer auch mit großem Abstand an diesen Film herangehen und sich auf jeden Wahnsinn einlassen. Die Art des Erzählens ist eigentlich wahnsinnig, doch das gehört zu Harley Quinn. Im Gegensatz dazu gefällt mir der Hauptbösewicht gespielt von Ewan McGregor nicht. Und alle Birds Of Prey hätten das viel früher zusammenbringen sollen, womit ich zum eigentlichen Drehbuch komme - chaotisches Erzählen stört nicht, sondern am Inhalt an sich hapert es. Nun ich hatte einfach mehr erwartet, es ist nicht schlecht, aber ich habe ich dadurch auch nicht auf den Hintern gesetzt. Angesichts der schlechten finanziellen Ergebnisse erhält Harley Quinn vielleicht noch eine Chance...
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I really don’t know if Birds of Prey wants to be a "sharp, even controversial film” or anything else, but I enjoyed it for what it really is – a fresh, uncomplicated, deliberately trashy-in-places, playfully over-the-top and infantile post-breakup action comedy with an intentionally chaotic narrative that, like the main protagonist, gradually settles down and becomes more focused. Girl power is not so obviously on display as in Wonder Woman or certain Marvel movies (e.g. the painfully forced and TERRIBLY unnecessary “don’t say that name” scene in Avengers: Endgame). Feminism is a natural part of the fictional world. All of the men are malicious betrayers or dangerous, violent swine (which, however, does not mean that the heroines are saintly, not even a little – they are imperfect, but they don’t care) and we want them to die a horrible death. This film is based more on female friendship than on the antagonism between Harley Quinn and Sionis, which in the end is rather just a MacGuffin contributing to “female bonding”, an obstacle preventing the protagonist from enjoying an egg sandwich or watching Tweety in peace. This is where Birds of Prey differs from standard comics-based films, where a villain must be eliminated in order for the world to be saved. I surely would not mind if there was greater anarchy and more derisive mockery of all of the macho comic-book universes in which women serve merely as sidekicks, baddies and ornaments in guy adventures, but Birds of Prey is too radically feminist (er, lol) for some viewers, so for now it’s perhaps not possible to expect more from a major-studio genre film. 75%
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Ignore it. Birds of Prey wants to be an edgy, perhaps even controversial film full of gritty and dark humour, bold directorial choices, strong characters and uncompromising atmosphere. But for that to work, the film would have to be made by someone more skilled than Cathy Yan, who gives it a pretty interesting visual look, but has absolutely no idea how to work with the characters and how to build relationships between them. And given that this is pretty much what Birds of Prey is supposed to be about, it's quite a problem. But she may also be a problem in that when Harley goes solo, she turns out not to be a very interesting character. This team-up wants to be something like Deadpool, but the the tough girls of Gotham can’t even hold a candle to the verbose mercenary. They're still good in the action scenes, but once they start talking and building relationships, it becomes apparent how boring these heroines are and how all that toughness and grit only works on paper. Behind the R-rating and the wild colours, there is a film can’t hide the fact that it has no ideas and is boring most of the time.
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I wanted to write that everything is bad, but that wouldn’t be true, because the overall impression is multiplied by the fact that a lot of what was wrong didn't have to be. The choreography is imaginative, playful and built on honest stunt action, but doesn’t have any zest. As 1980s glitter-pop wannabe punk stylings go, it's an inconsistent "ten minutes of nothing and then two minutes of 110%", which goes hand in hand with an incongruously alternating overdriven tone and an almost serious attitude. On paper, the narrative is fast-paced, full of flashbacks, just like Ritchie, but that may have been the case on paper, because when translated into practice the effect was lost. And then there’s the casting… It's no match for the cultishly bad casting of Schumacher's Batman, but not a single role is well-cast, including Margot Robbie. Harley here is more over-the-top, ditzy and stylised into a Deadpool/Gwenpool concoction. It doesn't have much in common with the more restrained version of the same character from Suicide Squad (where she played second fiddle) and Margot doesn't deliver it. At the same time, scenes like the "egg sandwich" could be sold in a funny way (Deadpool and the animated Harley Quinn are founded on such scenes). Ditto the two villains and others; led by the casting of the nearly 60-year-old grandmotherly Rosie Perez in a gritty "written for Michelle Rodriguez, but she didn't exactly have time" role – the casting flop of the decade. Then there’s the artlessly disguised in action through constant back-taking with a wig. That would be frowned upon in an amateur fan film, let alone a blockbuster production. And no, it's not a disruptive element, plus, with the right casting, the character could have worked. And so it is with everything else. It could have worked, but it doesn’t. Unfortunately, not to the point where it would be unintentionally funny. So it's just the essence of boring dullness.
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Birds of Prey turned out tragically financially, and the movie itself is nothing to write home about. I may be one of the few who liked Suicide Squad, but this spin off with Harley Quinn was too feminist and girly for me and it irritated me for almost the entire running time. There's a difference between listening to the dialogue of a group of tough mercenaries versus a group of women, where the humor doesn't come across as funny at all, at times I was almost embarrassed. What elevates the film to the average is the nice color comic book visuals and decent over-the-top action, but I hardly noticed any violence apart from a few nice fractures. Compared to Deadpool, where guts and brains were flying in all directions, this was very tame, and Ewan McGregor as the villain overacted too much for my taste. Somewhere around 20 minutes before the end I was wishing for the ending and that's always a bad sign. It's okay for one viewing thanks to Harley Quinn and the decent action, but there wasn’t anything else I enjoyed. PS: Jurnee Smollett-Bell in gold leggings, however, was not to be missed! 5/10.
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Far from being as predictable and tired as the trailers or first reactions suggested, the film is even enjoyable, thanks to the compelling performance of the titular heroine. However, the biggest plus remains that, unlike its predecessor Suicide Squad, I was entertained. Margot Robbie embodies the Harley Quinn standard, occasionally going a bit overboard, leaving little space for the other characters, but most of the time her unrestrained madness is just right. The only criticism is that she still falls short of the comic book character, as Harleen Quinzel's essence is not just about laughter and bat-wielding. I also consider the main villain a success, despite unnecessarily calling himself Black Mask, Ewan McGregor is always good enough to take on a worthy role in a film that will become widely known. It's a pity that his sidekick, played by Chris Messina, has nothing in common with the menacing Victor Zsasz he's supposed to be representing. The movie is full of such inconsistencies. Huntress is amazing but hardly given any screen time. Some lines are good, but others are almost lame. In short, I expected everything except a unoffensive one-trick pony, running the gamut from A to B, and once again, there will be no follow-up. 50%
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After all of those painfully generic, would-be serious comic-book movies abounding with pathos and artificial CGI sequences, we finally have a properly entertaining flick from the superhero universe. Let’s just admit that only Nolan has managed to deal with superheroes in a truly complex way and everyone else is merely pretending to bring depth to the genre. And that clownish Deadpool, with its insipid “bloody R-rating” mythos is not an alternative, but just the other side of the same coin. Fortunately, salvation has come in the form of Harley Quinn’s solo movie, which is everything that comic books have traditionally been, without being what comic-book movies have been for the past twenty years. Here we again finally have a trashy, colourful and superficial farce with crackpot characters in a maniacal world. Furthermore, after those decades of CGI blockbusters (especially comic-book flicks) pushing action movies out of cinemas, Birds of Prey marks the return of proper kinetic and physical action spectacle (thus capping the trend started by the Mission: Impossible and John Wick franchises). Whereas other comic-book blockbusters have completely superficial action that is never memorable, Birds of Prey offers up several imaginatively designed and magnificently executed sequences with astonishing choreography by Chad Stahelski – the police station sequence is the highlight, but the carnival fun-house passage at the end is also great. This film does not entirely refrain from indulging in some tediously shallow CGI scenes, though fortunately only at the level of simulated exteriors. On the other hand, the film’s main virtue consists in the good, classic analogue work done by the people in the make-up, costume, set and action-choreography departments, as well as in the casting, of course. I very much hope that the incel whiners don’t win and that Harley Quinn gets another movie, because this is exactly what the contemporary bland production of comic-book flicks needs: A cheeky girl who isn’t saving the world in another dull spectacle, but just saving her own ass in a playfully trashy and boldly colourful fairy tale, a girl who knows how to swing a baseball bat and fire a grenade launcher, and who mainly loves an egg cheese sandwich (which, incidentally, is an essential defining moment for the character, as well as a great contribution to the home recipe book).
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If there's anyone in the American film industry who is irresistible, it's Margot. I don't care if Harley Quinn has a strong enough story or personality to pull off her own movie, because Margot Robbie does. And her Harley is damn watchable, cool enough, and cute to boot. Plus, she's not exactly on her own. In comic book movies, it's always the same script anyway, good guys versus bad guys, backstory, big final brawl, boom, ending, promise of a sequel. Whether any comes about in this case, I have no idea. Anyway, I enjoyed the movie, I'm happy with the cast, the editing was great, the music suited me. They’re weaker ones, but there are five of them. Stars, I mean.
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Chaotically told banality about a girl who needed to take a shit. Although the role of Harley fits Margot like a glove, the solo stories about her do not work in the comic book, let alone in a film. The affected wisecracks and vain attempts to generate humor just aren’t funny. On top of that, the whole film is wrapped up in some sort of weird girl-power package, which is getting more and more annoying in films these days. Luckily, the action scenes are very well filmed and are original, so there is still something worth watching. In this film, McGregor looks a little like Bono and his “I want it and it’s mine" approach is a fairly refreshing interpretation of a villain. You totally forget the other would-be heroines even before you begin writing your review on FilmBooster. Crime pays.
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A surprisingly well built narration that, mostly in the first half, portrays the unpredictable nature of its protagonists in an original way. Margot is always nice to look at and the maniac version of the likeable McGregor was innocently entertaining, rather than cringe or annoying. Having compared the motivations and set a clear goal, the narration quiets down and the film loses its momentum and progressive ideas – the action scenes become more routine (with the exception of the final chase on roller skates) and the feminism that was smartly pushed at first now becomes too forced. Also, the secondary characters aren’t interesting enough to be a valuable complement to this eager one-woman-show, which is the biggest shame because, formally speaking, I was quite satisfied and I also appreciate the fact that after some point I forgot this was supposed to be a super-hero movie. 65%
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I went into Birds of Prey with zero expectations, hoping that even if it was bad, it couldn’t possibly be as terrible as Suicide Squad. Imagine my surprise — and shock — when it turned out to be quite the opposite. DC clearly learned from the mess that was Suicide Squad and used Margot Robbie’s potential as Harley Quinn to the fullest. Harley was one of the few redeeming aspects of her debut, and with better direction, the film could do interesting things with her character. Thankfully, they scrapped the idea of focusing on her and Joker and instead centered the story on her and other female heroes, with Joker serving as just a springboard for Harley’s emancipation. The most significant and positive change is the R-rating, which Suicide Squad should have had — it wouldn’t have saved that movie, but it might have made it a bit more bearable. Birds of Prey’s R-rating gives it a style reminiscent of Kick-Ass, which I appreciated. The film doesn’t shy away from brutality, but it doesn’t go overboard either. Ewan McGregor as Black Mask was a lot of fun; he might be a somewhat generic villain, but McGregor’s performance gives him flair, providing plenty of entertaining moments. The other female characters were also enjoyable, with Black Canary getting enough screen time to build audience sympathy, making her feel relevant. I would have liked to see more of Mary Elizabeth Winstead’s character, but given her story, her screen time was adequate. A big plus for me was that the film didn’t rely solely on Harley; the other characters had their moments to shine too. Sure, the movie has its flaws and could be easily critiqued, but I’m giving it a thumbs up. I expected it to be a total disaster, so I was pleasantly surprised by how much I enjoyed it. Birds of Prey feels like the start of DC redeeming itself from the Suicide Squad debacle, and I have high hopes that James Gunn’s upcoming The Suicide Squad will fully redeem and elevate the franchise.
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I was prepared to hate this movie, but in the course of watching it I found myself trying to like it instead. Unfortunately though, it mostly repeats the same tropes as the awful second Deadpool. It also repeats the patterns of other comic book originals, but thinks it rises above them by naming them out loud and breaking the fourth wall. Once again it lacks the courage to build this movie around one character and has to assemble an unlikely team (for god's sake, how many times?). Again, not funny, just disturbed and mischievous in the simplest way possible. Fortunately, unlike the above, at least Birds of Prey contains action scenes, and very decent ones at that, with funny ideas and, more tangible physics and realistic movements of the characters, especially for a comic book movie, since here they don't get back up in a split second. It's obvious that Margot Robbie didn't want to hand over her character to perhaps a more capable stunt double in these sequences either, and so there's a kind of sympathetic clumsiness emanating from Harley Quinn when she fights, though every punch here safely finds its face. It's just a shame that by the end, thanks to the development of the film, those action scenes turn into the usual fragmented team battle that lacks everything that has been achieved so far in terms of action. Further praise should be given to Robbie herself, who has reformatted the character of Harley Quinn from goofy manic pixie jailbait in Suicide Squad (which nerds have been fawning over since the trailers, and which in this form is actually what got Birds of Prey made in the first place) into a form that's fairly faithful to its comic book predecessor (who is so insufferable that no one in their right mind could imagine how anyone could turn this into a movie solo) and thankfully undergoes almost minimal development. At the same time, it has virtually no erotic appeal whatsoever, as it hovers somewhere between a mischievous kid and a manic diva who's been driven by years of drinking jimsonweed tea to come ringing your doorbell at 4:00 am to tell you she's seen a shooting star. With such an unlikely heroine, then, it's all the more galling that the filmmakers can’t seem to deviate from the stuffy team-up concept and thereby don't give her enough space to shine. Oh, and my last comment is the obligatory one, and that is that most of the exteriors and interiors are UNWATCHABLE. You just can't shoot a normal factory, or somehow digitally tweak it to your specific needs. You have to build the whole thing digitally. You can't find a suitable restaurant interior, so you build it in a studio and cram a spotlight into every window to represent daylight. And so on and so forth. There is barely a single space in this film that looks real. With the club and fairground scenes, I was already toying with the idea that this was intentional staginess, because some of the sets look like a Broadway musical and no one thinks for a second that it doesn't give the appearance of a real place. The good handiwork of the make-up and costume designers thus goes to waste completely, as the artificiality of the setting willy-nilly seeps into the other elements of the film and makes it all look equally cheap. In a contemporary sort of cheap way, where cheapness actually means that a scene where two people sit at a table and talk can be seen to have pointlessly cost a million and a half.
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(weniger)
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Overall, it's quite an enjoyable little film that surprises with its catchy soundtrack and stylish, colorful presentation. As for the story, don’t expect miracles. Yes, the film tries to engage the audience with various flashbacks and such, but this doesn’t mask the very simple plot, which doesn’t have much to offer at its core. That’s a bit disappointing. In terms of acting, Margot Robbie as Harley Quinn definitely carries the film, and she gets the most screen time, which really helps the movie. On the other hand, Huntress could have used more screen time for her character. Ewan McGregor’s portrayal of the villain Black Mask was intriguingly mad, while Viktor Zsasz was quite underwhelming. Now, let’s move on to another strength of the film: the action. Hiring the choreographers from John Wick really paid off; you can see their meticulous work in every fight scene, with varied settings and an eye-catching style. But I still believe the film’s potential was not fully realized. The R rating was a nice touch, though they were quite restrained with the blood (the most uncomfortable scene was when Black Mask forced a woman to strip, which was quite chilling). I give it 65%.
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