EDITOR’S NOTE/DISCLAIMER: BOF received a digital copy of this film from Warner Bros. for reviewing purposes. – “Jett”
BIRDS OF PREY: AND THE FANTABULOUS EMANCIPATION OF ONE HARLEY QUINN (or HARLEY QUINN: BIRDS OF PREY I guess it’s called now?) came and went without much of a bang in February. The movie, like others, was then pushed to digital rather quickly given the current worldwide crisis. Now, whether you skipped on it in theaters or were aching to give it another watch, the option to view is just a few clicks away. And I think you should do it.
I wasn’t able to be on BOF podcast #164 for the full BOP review, although I did send in a quick audio review (I can’t get enough of me either). In short, I found the movie to be a fun, entertaining ride that was just the escape I needed. Margot Robbie continues to own the role, other actors owned theirs, there was plenty of humor and some really great action scenes. Overall, I had a fun time sitting in the theater.
RELATED: BIRDS OF PREY Film Review by Bill “Jett” Ramey
Flying to the digital release, I had the opportunity to explore the bonus features, which are always a personal favorite of mine. At first glance, there is a lot to be offered here. However, as described below, I found the extras to mostly be “meh”, and scattershot. Personally, I love a documentary exploring multiple angles of the production in depth. Mostly here, we get a scattershot of people giving quick opinions on others, and some of the scenes. They aren’t bad, just didn’t leave much of an impression on me. However, here’s the breakdown.
ROMANESQUE– A quick highlight of Ewan McGregor playing Roman Sionis/Black Mask (4:54)
SANITY IS SOOO LAST SEASON– Multiple cast and crew members highlighting the fashion of the movie (7:37)
WILD NERDS– A scattered look on how they Brough Bruce the hyena to the screen, the Ace Chemicals explosion, Canary Cry sequence and more (6:01)
BIRDS OF A FEATHER– Discussing Margot’s love for Harley, writer Christina Hodson’s crazy ideas, director Cathy Yan’s approach, praising cinematographer Matthew Libatique the cinematographer, and the fighting of each character (8:24)
CRIME AND CRIME– Highlighting the production designer KK Barrett while exploring the sets, mixed with cast interviews (10:36)
A LOVE, SKATE RELATIONSHIP– Talking about the roller derby inclusion in the movie and Margot’s training for it (4:27)
BIRDS EYE VIEW MODE– A picture-in-picture commentary on different aspects of the movie (1:48:50)
GAG REEL– A quick mashup of goofs and gags while filming the movie (1:59)
If you’re looking for some new entertainment at home, BIRDS OF PREY is definitely worthwhile. It’s a unique comic book film that’s fun, irreverent style helps it stand out amongst the others. While the special features aren’t much of a standout, the movie is and comes recommended from this guy. – Ryan Lower
