so that's it what we're some kind of
birds of prey welcome to watchmojo.com
lead Amon got them looking for
emancipation for this list we're looking
at why 2020s birds of prey is a vast
improvement over its 2016 predecessor
Suicide Squad number 10 the editing and
pacing one of the biggest issues with
Suicide Squad was its pacing which isn't
surprising since quote multiple editors
were brought on board the result was two
hours of exposition loosely tied
together by something resembling
conflict making matters worse Suicide
Squad kept shoehorning in flashbacks
with little rhyme or reason hey I
wouldn't do that if I were you birds of
prey isn't executed in chronological
order either but this narrative
structure actually works to its
advantage the movie is told from Harley
Quinn's perspective and since her mind
is unhinged it makes sense that her
story would jump around oh yeah I told
this all wrong
quick history lesson while Harley isn't
the most focused narrator the plot and
motivations are never incoherent even
when Harley back tracks to explain
someone's backstory she does it in such
an entertaining way it's hard to
complain
number nine it's funny David Ayer's
original cut of Suicide Squad was
apparently much gloomier until the
studio demanded something more humorous
and fun akin to what we saw in the
trailers what else go cowgirl I think
that kind of a mission to have a seat
she seems nice with the exception of a
couple of lines from Harley and Will
Smith's Deadshot though most of the
attempts at comedy fell flat Eames
if this man shoots me I want you to kill
him and I want you to go clear my
browser history heck the funniest lines
were in the trailers but not the
theatrically released film I should kill
everyone in this gate sorry
the voices whereas Suicide Squad was a
failed guardians of the galaxy wannabe
birds of prey feels like Deadpool soul
sister yeah it's me Deadpool and I got
an offer that you can't refuse
like the Merc with the mouth harley is
an endless source of witty one-liners
screwball charm and hilarious fourth
wall breaks harley isn't alone however
and the entire cast brings their own
distinctive comedic timing to the table
number eight it's more visually
interesting while Suicide Squad wasn't
well-received upon release some people
gave it credit for at least being more
colorful than Man of Steel or Batman vs
Superman next time they shine your light
in the sky don't go looking back years
later however those glimpses of color
are overshadowed by a lot of grimy
settings and muddled cinematography much
of the time it's hard to even make out
what's going on the audience misses
nothing in birds-of-prey every scene
pops out at us with eccentric art
direction costume design and effects the
whole movie is like a comic book crossed
with graffiti art the fact that this was
director Kathy Ann's first big-budget
production makes the film's visual style
all the more impressive of course there
are traces of Yan's debut film dead pigs
[Music]
number seven it has better action if
you're not going to develop the
characters or deliver an involving story
the least you could do is give us some
cool action sequences yet even the
action in Suicide Squad was fairly by
the numbers resulting in one uninspired
shootout after another for a film that
prides itself on having such
over-the-top characters the set pieces
couldn't have been more generic
culminating with yet another giant sky
beam birds of prey the action matches
our main characters eccentric
personality and the rebellious nature of
her partners in crime from Harley's
drug-fueled prison escape to the
climactic amusement park showdown the
film is a sugar rush that never slows
down
imagine John wick meets the Harley's
holiday episode from Batman the Animated
Series six it's not a preview for future
DC movies why miss Jolene just like to
make friends it's fitting that Suicide
Squad was recut by the company behind
its teaser because the film was
basically one bloated trailer for future
DC projects after Batman vs Superman we
didn't eat another movie to remind us
that Justice League was coming
fortunately birds of prey follows the
example set by Wonder Woman Aquaman and
Shazam keeping things self-contained I
invited another friend I hope that's
okay rather than thinking about upcoming
movies birds-of-prey focuses on telling
a standalone story with only a few mild
references to the larger DC EU this
amounts to better character development
which in turn leaves the audience
waiting to see more of these people in
sequels and spin-offs at this point we
much rather see a movie about Huntress
or Black Canary than Justice League two
number five Harley Quinn takes center
stage I was back on my feet ready to
embrace the fierce goddess within one of
the few saving graces in Suicide Squad
was Margot Robbie's dead-on portrayal of
Harley Quinn
while the dialogue and story didn't
offer much room for Harley to really let
loose the movie got a little more
watchable whenever Robbie was on-screen
because I this is a sewer - only with
nice shops and restaurants right
they hate mankind much Robbi straight-up
steals the show in birds of prey meaning
there is rarely a dull moment unless we
oh we're gonna have to work together
Harley's constant presence not only
paves the way for a funnier more
rambunctious romp but also a more
interesting character study Harley
started as the Joker's henchmen but the
character has since taken on a life of
her own psychologically speaking
vengeance rarely brings the catharsis we
hope for yeah are we ready
this is reflected in birds of prey as
Harley tries to figure out who she is
without mr. J in short she is a total
wildcard Harlequins role is to serve
it's nothing without a master
no one gives two shits who we are beyond
death number four it's a stronger
ensemble piece there's a moment in
Suicide Squad where El Diablo says that
he can't lose another family given the
lack of chemistry between the cast
though this line ever felt earned while
Harley gets the most screen time in
birds of prey this is far from a
one-woman show Ellijay Bosco makes a
strong debut as pickpocket Cassandra
jurnee smollett Belle beams with
confidences Black Canary Rosie Perez is
tough as nails as Renee Montoya and Mary
Elizabeth Winstead kills it as the
Huntress what you are so cool although
we wish some supporting players got a
little more time to shine everyone
leaves their mark and shares a great
rapport aside from Kill Bill this is
probably the closest we'll ever get to a
Fox force five movie Fox force five
foxes and we're a bunch of foxy chicks
force as in we're forced to be reckoned
with and fives in there's one two three
four five of us number three a superior
villain we remember nothing about
suicide squads interpretation of
enchantress outside of her ridiculous
outfit and dance moves lady you are evil
you Novato CA news Fanu we all want to
forget about Jared Leto's performance as
the Joker which birds-of-prey apparently
did bring the car ride while the Joker
is mentioned in passing he's essentially
a no-show with the spotlight being
shined on Ewan McGregor's Roman sionis
also known as black mask granted it is a
little disappointing that Roman just
wears a black mask on occasion rather
than having one fused to his face but
nevertheless McGregor has a blast in the
role crafting a villain whose menacing
and despicable but still classy humorous
and a great foil for Harley it's also a
nice departure for McGregor who hasn't
gotten to play many villains in the past
number two it went for an R rating
Amanda Waller tracked down the worst of
the worst for her Suicide Squad when a
movie is pg-13 though the characters are
never allowed to be that bad even Jared
Leto pushed for the film to be rated R
but the studio played it safe
if 2019 s Joker taught Warner Brothers
and DC anything it's that rolling the
dice on a hard-r comic-book movie can
pay off in fantabulous ways birds of
prey dives headfirst into our rate of
territory but never goes too far never
call a woman a chick I'll accept fourth
lady woman on occasion [ __ ] as bloody
and graphic as the violence gets it's
still executed in a fun playful fashion
the use of four-letter words also feels
natural and in sync with the characters
unlike 2019 s Hellboy where the foul
language came off as forced your moral
high ground is found on a pile of
[ __ ] before we continue
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them if you're on your phone make sure
you go into your settings and switch on
notifications number one it had a
clearer vision studio interference isn't
always a bad thing but Suicide Squad is
a textbook example of how it can derail
a whole production
you helped me by erasing my mind what
what started out as a much bleaker film
was tweaked at the eleventh hour to be
more lighthearted turning out the
totally confused messed we'd all expect
with birds of prey you get the sense
that Cathy yan and screenwriter
Christina Hudson went in with a clear
vision that they ultimately executed yen
described her film as quote Pulp Fiction
meets Rashomon with a bit of a Clockwork
Orange which is essentially what we get
birds of prey knows exactly what it
wants to be delivering an off-the-wall
action picture that's as crazy as a
circus and as absurd as a classic farce
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