Birds of Prey: and the Fantabulous emancipation of one Harley Quinn: reviews

What the critics say average 6.3 from 11

• 8.3 Entertainment WeeklyLeah Greenblatt Does the movie?s pop-feminist message need to be as consistently, cartoonishly violent as it is? Almost definitely not. But in a world gone mad, the catharsis of Prey?s twisted sisterhood doesn?t just read as pandemonium for its own sake; it?s actually pretty damn sweet. Read
• 8.3 The WrapAlonso Duralde The film?s various elements work in wonderful concert to keep the momentum brisk but still grounded in a stylized version of human empathy, from Jay Cassidy and Evan Schiff?s whiz-bang editing to Daniel Pemberton?s consciously grandiose score. The cast makes each moment count. Read
• 8.0 Time OutHelen O'Hara It works because we haven?t seen this story a thousand times before, and because it leaves behind the grim-dark posturing of ?Suicide Squad?. It?s nice to see a joker who doesn?t take herself too seriously. Read
• 7.5 USA TodayBrian Truitt While Birds of Prey is all about that group dynamic, its resident Oscar nominee sparkles as the cuckoo crazy pants center of attention who's the batty wind beneath their wings Read
• 7.0 Los Angeles TimesJustin Chang 'Birds of Prey', directed by Cathy Yan from a screenplay by Christina Hodson, is an impudent blast of comic energy. Light on psychology and devoid of prestige, it?s a slab of R-rated hard candy that refuses to take anything, least of all itself, too seriously. Read
• 6.7 IndiewireKate Erbland It?s a girl-powered, earnestly feminist superhero movie with big, implausible action sequences and outsized personalities, and while it never quite reaches that potential, it does begin to map out a fresh path to the world-worn arena of superhero narratives. It may not be the promised total emancipation (at least not yet), but it is fantabulous in its own way. Read
• 6.0 EmpireIan Freer It?s messy, with a middle section that sags, but 'Birds Of Prey' has vibrancy, anarchy and balls to spare. Harley and Joker are dead. Long live Harley Quinn. Read
• 6.0 VarietyOwen Gleiberman Directing her first studio feature, Cathy Yan keeps it all hurtling along with impeccable ferocity. Her action scenes have a deftly detonating visual spaciousness, capped by crowd-pleasing moments. Read
• 5.0 VultureAlison Willmore If the results are mixed, it?s because the movie devotes more thought to putting distance between itself and Suicide Squad than to imagining what an independent version of the character is actually like. Read
• 4.0 New York TimesA.O. Scott Like other big-studio exercises in pseudo-subversion (very much including ?Deadpool?), Birds of Prey is happy to play at provocation with swear words and violence while carefully declining to provoke anything like a thought. Read
• 2.0 The New YorkerAnthony Lane 'Birds of Prey', alas, is an unholy and sadistic mess. Read