D: Cathy Yan
Warner Bros/DC/Luckychap/Clubhouse (Margot Robbie, Bryan Unkeless & Sue Kroll)
US 🇺🇸 2020
109 mins
Science Fiction/Action/Fantasy
W: Christina Hodson [based on characters created by DC comics]
DP: Matthew Libatique
Ed: Jay Cassidy & Evan Schmidt
Mus: Daniel Pemberton
Margot Robbie (Harleen Quinzell / Harley Quinn), Mary Elizabeth Winstead (Helena Bertinelli / The Huntress), Jurnee Smollett-Bell (Dinah Lance / Black Canary), Rosie Perez (Renee Montoya), Chris Messina (Victor Zsasz), Ewan McGregor (Roman Sionis / Black Mask)
Although I thought Margot Robbie’s performance as Harley Quinn was the most entertaining aspect of 2016’s Suicide Squad, I don’t really think it was good enough to warrant its own spinoff movie. Hollywood studios thought different however, and are still trying to rush through female-led action-adventure movies on a production conveyor belt rather than take their time and make them any good.
This isn’t really an origin story or a sequel to Suicide Squad, as it doesn’t reference that film at all and instead focuses on what Harley Quinn gets up to after she breaks up with the Joker, leading a female group of mercenaries to take on a narcissistic crime lord.
Unfortunately, the plot is incomprehensible and just seems intent on forcing a girl power feminist message down the viewers throats as the characters take on “toxic masculinity”.
I really don’t care about identity politics and I’m sick of seeing them crammed into movies so blatantly. Just make the movie good, and if it happens to have an honourable social message within the subtext, so be it.
I’ve not been overly impressed with DC comics attempts to compete with Marvel studios cinematic output thus far, and this film certainly hasn’t changed my mind.
Makeup and visual effects aside, it’s a complete waste of time.
You’ll probably know if you’ll enjoy it or not from the original title alone.
4/10