The early reviews for the new Harley Quinn spin-off film Birds Of Prey are in, and they’re surprisingly positive.
On Wednesday night, critics attended the premiere of Margot Robbie’s second big-screen outing as Harley Quinn, which also stars Ali Wong and Ewan McGregor.
And while Suicide Squad – of which this film is a spin-off – was largely panned by critics, Birds Of Prey has earned itself a much better reception, with reviews like “gut-bustingly funny”, “an absolute blast” and “absolutely bananas” being thrown around in early tweets about the film.
In particular, Margot’s performance in the lead role has been singled out for praise, at least according to early reviews posted on
Twitter, who have branded her (obviously) “fantabulous”…Saw #BirdsofPrey this morning! I liked it a lot. The stuff I loved: the action, the tone and just how creative the direction is.
Margot Robbie completely sells the incredibly choreographed fight sequences and their gleeful brutality, this whole scene in particular ⬇️⬇️ pic.twitter.com/UBb0FPAa14— Terri Schwartz (@Terri_Schwartz) January 29, 2020#BirdsofPrey is delightfully unassuming and unconcerned with its place in a larger context. It's a bonkers bananas crime
comedy and a genuine party movie. Everyone is having a blast but Mary Elizabeth Winstead plays Huntress like a supporting character from THE TICK. It rocks. pic.twitter.com/7MRMKkZ0oi— Scott Mendelson (@ScottMendelson) January 29, 2020Believe this. #BirdsofPrey whips all sorts of ass. It is a hard-hitting, unapologetic origin story for the team, and a terrific, vicious vehicle for #MargotRobbie. Violent, funny with CRAZY fun action. And Ewan McGregor is on a different frequency, but wildly entertains! See it! pic.twitter.com/g66RYuwwlD— Sean O'Connell (@Sean_OConnell) January 29, 2020#BirdsofPrey was a rideee! The action scenes are really raw and some of the best I've seen in a comic book film. Each and every character has their moment to shine and I loved it. Just wait until you witness the power of the canary cry on the big screen!! pic.twitter.com/aLV43ZT2kG— Britany (@britany_murphs) January 29, 2020So, #BirdsOfPrey is absolutely bananas and *so* much fun! Some pacing problems aside, it's a neon-blood-soaked, funny, violent, anti-hero caper best enjoyed with your best friends and a margarita in hand 🍹👯Plus, the action choreography is *chefs kiss* 😍 | @birdsofpreywbpic.twitter.com/gNvedvBJkI— Digital Spy (@digitalspy) January 29, 2020#BirdsofPrey is a blast. Stylish, kooky, and gut-bustingly funny, it sings when it lets it’s cast just go ham, especially the gonzo Margot Robbie. Lulls a bit in the middle and is a little on the slight side, but a completely fun watch— Hoai-Tran Bui (@htranbui) January 29, 2020#BirdsOfPrey has terrific action, humor & some of the more memorable characters we’ve seen in a DC movie, but the biggest highlight is Margot Robbie. She is fantabulous as Harley, while also proving that sometimes our most valued relationships are the ones we have w/ good food pic.twitter.com/EDQ3sr5JtL— Erik Davis (@ErikDavis) January 29, 2020#BirdsofPrey is like if John Wick were run through a crazy funhouse filter and stuffed full of glitter and f-bombs. It's everything you could ever want from #HarleyQuinn and her badass girl gang. Into this movie completely. 🤘🏻 pic.twitter.com/Y2DZgPYN2Y— Alisha Grauso (@AlishaGrauso) January 29, 2020#BirdsofPrey is an absolute blast & undeniably fun live wire jolt of adrenaline. Delightfully devilish & deliriously wicked,this irreverent, rule-breaking riot delivers a contact high. Cathy Yan is a genius. Robbie, Smollett, Winstead, Perez & Basco are perfection. @birdsofpreywbpic.twitter.com/D72F2D1apY— Courtney Howard (@Lulamaybelle) January 29, 2020Cathy Yan’s #BIRDSOFPREY is a criminally fun celebration of sisterhood, with some of my favourite fight scenes in recent memory. I was grinning from ear to ear the entire thing; making a pub debut with my review soon! pic.twitter.com/QBEgyf6oan— Millicent Thomas (@MillicentOnFilm) January 29, 2020#BirdsOfPrey is a violent, seedy slow-burn leading to a flock-up that’s truly something special to witness pic.twitter.com/QGO8nQvwIv— Chris Sylvia (@sylvioso) January 29, 2020#BirdsOfPrey is a lot of fun and violent as hell. The Birds are so entertaining and distinctly different from each other. Ewan McGregor is so sinister and often hilarious. pic.twitter.com/4scxbS6GwT— BD (@BrandonDavisBD) January 29, 2020Birds Of Prey – or, to give it its proper title, Birds of Prey (And The Fantabulous Emancipation Of One Harley Quinn) – is the third Margot Robbie outing released in the last 12 months after Quentin Tarantino’s Once Upon A Time In
Hollywood and the
Fox News biographical drama Bombshell.
The latter earned Margot nominations in the Best Supporting
Actress category at both the
Golden Globes and
Oscars, while at this year’s Baftas, her performances in both films have landed her two nominations in the same category.
Margot’s iconic version of Harley Quinn was first seen in the 2016 film Suicide Squad, in which Jared Leto played her on-screen love interest, the Joker.A second spin-off, imaginatively titled The Suicide Squad, is set for release next year, while Joaquin Phoenix was recently nominated for an Academy Award for his own unique portrayal of the Joker in the recent stand-alone film.
Meanwhile, the Birds Of Prey premiere was an especially big one for Margot, not just because of the glowing reviews she received, but because she had a starstruck moment as she met the cast of
Love Island on the red carpet.
Birds Of Prey hits
UK cinemas on 7 February 2020.MORE FILM NEWS:
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