Birds of Prey (and the Fantabulous Emancipation of One Harley Quinn) (2020)
Movie · 2020 · Action, Crime · 1h 49m · R · English
Curator score: 2.1/10 (1.2M ratings)
Mind over mayhem.
Overview
Harley Quinn joins forces with a singer, an assassin and a police detective to help a young girl who had a hit placed on her after she stole a rare diamond from a crime lord.
Ratings
Curator score: 2.1/10
IMDb: 6.1/10
Letterboxd: 3.00/5
Rotten Tomatoes: 79%
Metacritic: 60
TMDB: 6.9/10
Director
Cathy Yan
Production
Warner Bros. Pictures, DC Films, LuckyChap Entertainment, Clubhouse Pictures, Kroll & Co Entertainment
Cast
Margot Robbie, Rosie Perez, Mary Elizabeth Winstead, Jurnee Smollett, Ewan McGregor, Ella Jay Basco, Chris Messina, Ali Wong, David Ury, Sara Montez, Izabel Pakzad, Daniel Bernhardt, Kc Strubbe, Jacky Shu, Paloma Esparza Rabinov, Derek Wilson, Joe Bucaro III, James Henry Williams Jr., François Chau, Miyuki Matsunaga
Where to watch
TNT, TBS, tru TV, Max
Curator Review
Verdict
A flashy, often very funny comic-book riff with strong style, energetic action, and a standout Margot Robbie performance, but it’s uneven in structure and can feel more like a vibe than a fully satisfying story. If you want a colorful, foul-mouthed antihero team-up with pop-punk attitude, it delivers; if you want tighter plotting or deeper emotional payoff, it may frustrate you.
Best for
Viewers who like stylized, neon-bright comic-book movies
Fans of chaotic antiheroes and female-led ensemble action
People who enjoy playful needle drops and comic violence
Audiences looking for a lighter, sassier DC entry
Skip if
You want a tightly plotted crime thriller
You dislike fragmented, hyperactive storytelling
You prefer grounded action over cartoonish mayhem
You’re not in the mood for a movie that prioritizes attitude over depth
Overview
Birds of Prey is at its best when it stops trying to behave like a standard superhero movie and leans into its own candy-colored chaos. Cathy Yan stages the action with real personality, and the film’s best stretches have a loose, punky confidence that makes the whole thing feel more mischievous than mechanical. Margot Robbie anchors it with a performance that understands Harley as both comic engine and emotional wrecking ball.
Worth noting
The movie’s biggest issue is that its structure can feel shaggy and overextended before it finally clicks into gear. The supporting characters are appealing, but the film often treats them as pieces in a collage rather than fully developed people. That said, the energy, the humor, and the visual design keep it watchable even when the narrative is wobbling.
Bottom line
What lingers most is the movie’s commitment to female camaraderie, messy self-invention, and gleeful revenge fantasy. It’s not the most elegant comic-book adaptation, but it is one of the more distinctive ones, and its best moments have a real sense of release.
Top Letterboxd reviews
demi adejuyigbe (4.5★) · 5505 likes
margot robbie has a scene where she skates to "barracuda" by heart, just like she did in i, tonya. 10/10 best picture
I just wrote & deleted a bunch of stuff about the superficial elements of BOP that I liked because there's one thing about this movie that struck me in particular and I don't want to write a literary thesis about any movie that has a slow, dramatic cover of "Hit Me With Your Best Shot" on the soundtrack. Real… more
Lucy (5★) · 4101 likes
my only complaint is that it’s not long enough
sophie (4★) · 3475 likes
a negative review of this says "moral of the story is men are bad" like it's a bad thing?!?
Karsten (3★) · 3410 likes
???
Birds of Prey ends with 20 minutes of colorful and flawlessly choreographed action. It says “fuck you” to traditional comic book endings and leaves you feeling like you actually did see a movie take that style in a fun and unique direction. Unfortunately almost everything before those last 20 minutes is a typical messy and heartless superhero film covered in glitter and empty eccentricity. The highs of this make me excited for another Harley Quinn film (if that happens)… more ???
Birds of Prey ends with 20 minutes of colorful and flawlessly choreographed action. It says “fuck you” to traditional comic book endings and leaves you feeling like you actually did see a movie take that style in a fun and unique direction. Unfortunately almost everything before those last 20 minutes is a typical messy and heartless superhero film covered in glitter and empty eccentricity. The highs of this make me excited for another Harley Quinn film (if that happens)… more
deah (4★) · 3340 likes
Harley: well well well. if it isn’t the consequences for my actions