I think we can all agree that the shining light from the flop that was Suicide Squad was Margot Robbie’s performance as Harley Quinn. She pretty much stole the show and chomp up every scene see was in. A refreshing take on an interesting character, beautiful crazy & funny in equal measures. Makes perfect sense to cash in on that star power!
Cash In
The perfect description for what’s happened here. This is a literal cash grab from a studio that clearly has no affinity for the characters or the comics. I am not a die hard comic book fan but I like a story that at least has effort put into it. This is poor lazy writing with paper thin characters and not much worth seeing….except of course, Margot Robbie.
Margot Robbie
It has to be said that she stills makes for a stellar Harley. Her performance is great and it needs to be because there’s rarely a scene that she’s not in. The title eludes to the forming of a team but most of the supporting cast barely get a look-in. Huntress, Black Canary, random cop & random kid (I don’t even remember their names….can you?) are not exactly the Avengers and none really get a chance to perform with maybe the exception of Huntress. Her backstory is interesting although only barely touched upon but it’s her comic awkwardness that stands out. Could have been a promising role with a little more screen time.
Black Mask
All great action movies have a bad guy you just love to hate. Ewan McGregor as Roman Sionis is just weird in this movie. Not the shouty short tempered crime boss from comics, Black Mask here is a gay, party guy with psychopathic tendencies, a penchant for torture and an aversion to germs!! As far as characters go, he’s a bit of a mess. At best, he’s occasionally menacing. At worst, he’s a harmless joke. As for performance, I can’t help but feel sorry for McGregor. He is definitely having fun with the role but again, the bland writing and lack of imagination or character development leave him somewhere in forgettable limbo.
Fight Choreography
I’m being at bit harsh. Let’s cover some of the positives. The movie does become quite entertaining during the action scenes. The fight scenes in particular are scrappy and overly violent which works quite well. Sometimes it suffers a little from superhero syndrome, where every move pulled off seems a bit too far fetched. At one point Harley wields a baseball bat like it was Mjolner (Thor’s hammer) but that’s not necessarily a complaint as it’s quite fun to watch. I found all in all the action scenes are quite enjoyable and made the movie entertaining to watch.
A Little Spark
Occasionally, some creative flair was shown, although quite rare. We sometimes get to see things from Harley’s perspective as she recalls events. This was colorful, stylish and a much needed boost of creativity. I only wish they did it more often. Barring the Police Station breakout scene, it never really happens again which is sad. This was an untapped vein of creative sauce that could have elevated this movie beyond mediocre.
Bland
The overall result is a very forgettable movie. Which is a damn shame because I was routing for this one. I was hoping we’d get a creative anti-hero movie instead of a run of the mill action flop. Margot is great but not enough to save this one from the DVD bargain bin. Watch it with your brain set to snooze and enjoy the action but don’t go spending money on this one!
What was your take on the movie? What DC villians or heroes would you like to see up against Harley? Let me know in the comments below!
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