Birds of Prey (and the Fantabulous Emancipation of one Harley Quinn) (2020)

[Matt K]

1 hour ago, Trini said:

I think this is a new promo photo?

Anyway, I just realized how stupid Harley's outfit is - a zipper down the front of overalls?? Why put her in overalls at all, if you wanted to show her midriff? /casual fashion nerd

All of the costumes look pretty bad or bland.  Besides Harley and the bat woman, none of the costumes have any pop to them.  And Harley's costume is not good and bat woman's outfit isn't great either (but does look better than Harley's).  

Edited October 31, 2019 by Matt K

[Trini]

4 hours ago, Matt K said:

All of the costumes look pretty bad or bland.  Besides Harley and the bat woman, none of the costumes have any pop to them.  And Harley's costume is not good and bat woman's outfit isn't great either (but does look better than Harley's).  

That's Black Canary/Dinah Lance, BTW.

I like Black Canary's outfit, just not sure how practical it is for butt-kicking. But the costumes for these movies are hardly ever practical for butt-kicking, so -

But despite Harley and her zaniness, I think this film is supposed to be a little more grounded and less about superheroic spectacle, so the costumes follow that.

Edited October 31, 2019 by Trini

[xaxat]

Went to their twitter for the first time. There are a couple of group shots, but otherwise it's all Harley, all Margot.

I hope that's not the plan for character development in the movie.

[MarkHB]

New synopsis:

Quote

You ever hear the one about the cop, the songbird, the psycho and the mafia princess? Birds of Prey (And the Fantabulous Emancipation of One Harley Quinn) is a twisted tale told by Harley herself, as only Harley can tell it. When Gotham’s most nefariously narcissistic villain, Roman Sionis, and his zealous right-hand, Zsasz, put a target on a young girl named Cass, the city is turned upside down looking for her. Harley, Huntress, Black Canary and Renee Montoya’s paths collide, and the unlikely foursome have no choice but to team up to take Roman down.

[Luckylyn]

Has there been any explanation for why Barbra Gordon/Batgirl/Oracle has been pushed out of Birds of Prey for the movie?  I’m just baffled by her exclusion. I’ve been waiting for a movie for Batgirl to really be showcased.

 I don’t hate Harley Quinn.  I grew up with Batman the Animated Series which created her.  I’m not inherently opposed to including her in Birds of Prey but the way it’s being marketed as her story with the others almost as an afterthought  is getting on my nerves.  

[Trini]

13 hours ago, Luckylyn said:

Has there been any explanation for why Barbra Gordon/Batgirl/Oracle has been pushed out of Birds of Prey for the movie?  I’m just baffled by her exclusion. I’ve been waiting for a movie for Batgirl to really be showcased.

No official explanation. But I assume that it's because there's a separate Batgirl movie in development, and/or the character will be connected to the newest Batman incarnation.

[Trini]

New posters are out, and the character ones put together make one long image.

[MarkHB]

Surprising no one, this film is officially "Rated R for strong violence and language throughout, and some sexual and drug material.".

[MarkHB]

I saw the poster at the theater yesterday, and was interested to discover that, along with two others, Margot Robbie actually has the p.g.a. letters after her producer's credit.  (That doesn't mean she's a guild member, it's the guild's way of signifying who did the actual work of producing the film as opposed to those getting a vanity credit.)

[AimingforYoko]

1 hour ago, MarkHB said:

I saw the poster at the theater yesterday, and was interested to discover that, along with two others, Margot Robbie actually has the p.g.a. letters after her producer's credit.  (That doesn't mean she's a guild member, it's the guild's way of signifying who did the actual work of producing the film as opposed to those getting a vanity credit.)

In a very real way, she's the only reason this movie exists.

[Danny Franks]

I just saw the trailer for this and, wow, it looks bad. Also, Harley is just about the only character who has any dialogue at all in it. It looks absolutely like 'Harley Quinn and her hangers on', which is a lousy way to treat some really cool characters, who have longer provenance in their own right, and as Birds of Prey, than Quinn does.

[methodwriter85]

This feels reminiscent of the Suicide Squad promo marketing.

[starri]

I didn't think it was possible for me to be less into this movie, but here we are.

[Sakura12]

With the way they are marketing this movie they should have titled it Harley Quinn and other female characters. 

[Trini]

Yep. I do not like that, contrary to the title, this is actually 'Harley and Her Backup Singers', but at least the marketing is being honest.

I'm not a fan of HQ (well, not since DC started overexposing the character in every medium) but if they want to make a movie with her - whatever. It just sucks that after this I doubt there will another film with the actual Birds of Prey team any time soon. Even if this is wildly successful, I'm sure the sequel will be a straight HQ film (or Harley and Ivy).

[starri]

If they wanted a team movie that was focused on Harley, I'd have been the first person in line for Gotham City Sirens.

[Zuleikha]

Gotham City Sirens was pitched, but the studio thought this was a better script. As I understand it, this was always intended to be a Harley Quinn film.

I wish they'd simply titled it the Fantabulous Emancipation Of One Harley Quinn and left the Birds of Prey out of the title. I think there's bitterness coming from raised expectations of an actual Birds of Prey movie. 

[methodwriter85]

23 hours ago, Danny Franks said:

It looks absolutely like 'Harley Quinn and her hangers on', which is a lousy way to treat some really cool characters, who have longer provenance in their own right, and as Birds of Prey, than Quinn does.

I'm going to post this poster again, because it quite literally makes the characters look like the hangers on to Harley Quinn.

What's funny is that couldn't resist putting Harley on as an ornament like the rest of the characters even though she's already the tree.

Edited December 25, 2019 by methodwriter85

[MarkHB]

New trailer, Spanish subtitles and one S-bomb. (ETA: I'm sure it'll be back soon).

 

[BetterButter]

 

[MarkHB]

First soundtrack video, with Megan Thee Stallion and Normani:

Here's the full track list; Jurnee Smollett-Bell sings the song credited to Black Canary:

 

[Trini]

On 1/9/2020 at 12:08 PM, BetterButter said:

 

 

This could end up being the DC/feminine equivalent to Deadpool. Except that I don't think they're marketing it enough; or cleverly enough.

Edited January 14, 2020 by Trini

[Trini]

Some quotes from Margot Robbie here: 'Margot Robbie’s Five-Year Fight To Make Birds of Prey'

Quote

“During Suicide Squad–when we would go to Comic-Con and such–I started to realize there was just such a huge fan base for Harley,” she remembered. “Whilst I was researching the character I started to read Birds of Prey and first I fell in love with Huntress, and I started looking into all of that. I was like, ‘Wow, there’s so many cool female DC characters and no one knows anything about any of them!’ So what if we had a platform for fans to get to know and fall in love with some of these other amazing women? Focusing on the Gotham City Sirens, there were only three of us and we were all well known, whereas with Birds of Prey you can pick any grouping for that, and I thought that might be the perfect platform to introduce some female characters who might really have some legs in the DC Universe.”

 

[Dancingjaneway]

That second trailer is much better than what I have been seeing advertised for this movie. I'm not a huge Harley Quinn fan but I do like fun action movies & I like Margo Robbie in this role. Also it doesn't hurt that the rest of the cast seems awesome(esp. Rosie Perez). 

[MarkHB]

DC Universe members: there will be special member-only screenings of BoP on Tuesday and Wednesday next week.  Check the News section of the app, and watch your email this Friday for RSVP instructions.

Unless you live in the Boston area, in which case you should wait until I have my ticket before you do anything at all 🙂 .

ETA: Fickle Finger of Fate: the Boston showing on Wednesday is at the fancy new Arclight by TD Garden... and the Celtics are playing that night.

[scarynikki12]

Here's a cute story of when Gail Simone got to watch some of the filming of the movie.

 

 

[Cranberry]

These initial social media reactions for superhero movies are usually positive, but still, this sounds promising: https://editorial.rottentomatoes.com/article/birds-of-prey-reactions-the-colorful-spectacular-action-packed-movie-harley-quinn-deserves/

[MarkHB]

14 hours ago, scarynikki12 said:

Here's a cute story of when Gail Simone got to watch some of the filming of the movie.

 

 

I read that last night; it's a GREAT thread!

[Andrew Wiggin]

Why is a Cass Cane in the Movie if the Character has nothing to do with her Comic Character?

If they needed a Damsel in Distress dont use a established great strong Character and detroye her.....

[MarkHB]

I saw the movie tonight. I've never read anything with Orphan, but from what I'm told the Cass Cain in this movie is nothing like her. But unless that's a major stumbling block for you, or you have a serious aversion to occasional lowbrow humor or OTT violence, I highly recommend this insanity.

[IOU Payne]

I caught the movie last night.  If you ever wondered how Spice World would look like if Quentin Tarantino had directed it, here's your answer. So! Much! Fun!  The BoP were grafted onto Harley's movie, but we were spared from seeing the Joker, which was of the good.  I'd rank it with Wonder Woman in terms of best DC movie.

[scarynikki12]

If I had to have a Birds of Prey movie without Barbara Gordon, this is the way to do it.

SO MUCH FUN!

Everyone was clearly having a ball and it made an already great experience even better.

Still love Margot's Harley and now I love Rosie's Renee, Mary Elizabeth's Helena, and Ella's Cass (no she's nothing like the comic version but I still loved the character).

And Jurnee is officially the best Black Canary. Period. I'm including animation in this assessment. She was PERFECT from start to finish.

[MarkHB]

9 hours ago, scarynikki12 said:

And Jurnee is officially the best Black Canary. Period. I'm including animation in this assessment. She was PERFECT from start to finish.

The first big applause point in my screening was when she finally cut loose with the Canary Cry. The second was when Black Mask met his demise.

[scarynikki12]

1 hour ago, MarkHB said:

The first big applause point in my screening was when she finally cut loose with the Canary Cry. The second was when Black Mask met his demise.

That Canary Cry was absolutely perfect and was perfectly used as well.

[scarynikki12]

Another thing I loved about this movie is that it doesn’t rule out Babs being a part of the team. Harley describes Dinah, Helena, and Renee as being a crime fighting team called Birds of Prey bankrolled by the Bertinelli money but it’s clear she’s going off what she’s heard rather than witnessed. It’s clear it’s supposed to be an epilogue to the events of the movie. So there’s room for a sequel to bring in Oracle as a founding member to run comms and tech without contradicting this movie. 

[Starfish35]

Sounds like it might not be doing so well:

‘Birds Of Prey’ Not OK With $33M+ Opening

[One4Sorrow2TooBad]

Sounds like this one's heading to be a loss to the studios. 

Edited February 8, 2020 by One4Sorrow2TooBad

[Guest]

4 hours ago, Starfish35 said:

Sounds like it might not be doing so well:

‘Birds Of Prey’ Not OK With $33M+ Opening

Wow, that’s bad. Too bad they pulled together a strong cast and then shot themselves in the foot with the R rating and Harley centric marketing.

[methodwriter85]

I enjoyed it, but the pre-sales were pretty bad and I'm not surprised the box office sucks. I definitely felt like they were going for a Deadpool vibe, but the jokes didn't really land until the second half of the movie.

Edited February 8, 2020 by methodwriter85

[Oreo2234]

I think the marketing is a problem. Reading reviews and reactions of moviegoers has made me interesting in going to see this but the marketing did not sell it. R-rated blockbusters are always a gamble too. They were probably expecting it to get worse reviews then it did but if they lifted the review embargo earlier it might have helped. 

[ihavenoidea]

42 minutes ago, Oreo2234 said:

I think the marketing is a problem. Reading reviews and reactions of moviegoers has made me interesting in going to see this but the marketing did not sell it. R-rated blockbusters are always a gamble too. They were probably expecting it to get worse reviews then it did but if they lifted the review embargo earlier it might have helped. 

I love Margot Robbie and think Mary Elizabeth Winstead is always awesome, but I had no interest in this, at least in the theater, because the trailer looked exactly like Suicide Squad, which ended up being terrible.  I'm happy to hear it's actually pretty good.  

[MarkHB]

I think in a lot of ways they are banking on the kids who made Suicide Squad such a box office success being old enough now to see this with an R rating. I think it's a fun movie and am looking forward to seeing it at the IMAX, probably next weekend. Also, there is a treat at the end of the credits so stick around.

[vavera4ka]

it was so much FUN! i adore Margot Robbie. she was amazing. the villain suit game was ON! lol as was he

but that kid. omg. is she some daughter or sister who got the role based on connections? i don't believe for a second that this was the best kid they saw in auditions.

but it was clear that everyone had a ball filming this and that energy came across the screen. the fighting from John Wick choreographer was crazy and funny! as expected.

[shantown]

Just got back from seeing this and loved it. There were several parts I cracked up at, including everything Huntress said (or tried to say), the horn honking every time a guys head got slammed into the steering wheel, and the scene where she gazed lovingly at a breakfast sandwich being made. 

Stinks to hear it isn't doing well - it was a fun, enjoyable flick. All the Birds were great! Jurnee Smollett-Bell was fantastic as Black Canary - and the first screen version of Dinah/Lauren Lance I've liked since Caity Lotz. Mary Elizabeth Winstead killed it as the most awkward vigilante ever. And Rosie Perez was amazing and loved her arc of becoming part of the team.

[Luckylyn]

I was on the fence about this movie because I was unhappy about the exclusion of Batgirl/Oracle, but it won me over.  It was so much fun to watch.   I’m hoping for a Greatest Showman situation where at first it appears a flop but the word of mouth is so strong it ends up a hit over time.  

[Zuleikha]

Marketing was a little weird. I'm very interested in seeing this, but it feels like it's been marketed at the same intensity for a while. I actually didn't realize it was finally released to theaters.

[KnotsLanding]

Much like Charlie's Angels, I feel marketing let this film down. I'm not sure if it's because these are female fronted films or what, but the marketing led me to believe this was going to be terrible. It also doesn't help that I don't love Harley, so focusing so much on her wasn't a selling point. I went to see this because a friend forced me to go with him. I was stunned at how good this was. Also, despite it being *so* different from the comic and tv show, this worked. It's rare that you can change so much and it works, but this did. I am sad we didn't get Oracle/Bat Girl, but this was a really well paced film. It had good character development, action, humor and they did a good job of showing the journey leading to them becoming Birds of Prey. I'd *love* a sequel so of course it's under-performing which means we won't get one.

Regardless of how it works out at the box office, I have to give them props for delivering a good product.

[BetterButter]

Birds of Prey Changes Title At Movie Theaters

[JessePinkman]

That's um...how stupid do they think the audience is? Harley's face is on every single poster. She's the centerpiece of every commercial and trailer. Margot Robbie is very famous for playing this character. People KNOW she's in the damn movie. I don't get it.

[Featherhat]

How is that going to make a difference? It was already Harley Quinn and her Back Up Band in the marketing, which could barely care less that these are also big DC characters in their own right. 

I mean it's less wacky than the original title maybe they think that was a problem? Like "Valerian and the City of a Thousand Planets" was apparently too confusing/convoluted?

I'm going to see this tomorrow, I'm glad people are enjoying it and it seems fun. Even though I like Harley and Margot well enough, I'm going to see it *despite* the overload of her on the marketing, which was an issue for me but I doubt it hurt the film that much.