10 Things Birds Of Prey Does Better Than Any DCEU Film (So Far)

Birds of Prey has had both positive and negative responses from audiences, but what does it do better than the other DC films?

Birds of Prey (& The Fantabulous Emancipation of One Harley Quinn) is the newest addition to the DC Extended Universe and focuses on villainess Harley Quinn as she deals with the aftermath of her breakup with the Joker. Despite its mixed reception, the film has great moments that make it stand out from other DCEU films.

Birds of Prey is definitely one of the most colorful and interesting DC films so far, from great characters to even greater action sequences. Here are 10 things that Birds of Prey did better than any of the DCEU films so far.

10 Female Representation

The DCEU doesn’t have the best track record when it comes to the representation of its female characters, but things are starting to look up with Wonder Woman and now Harley Quinn.

The heart of Birds of Prey is a story about a group of women who all have completely different motives and decide they work better together. It’s refreshing to see a proper girl gang film where all the characters (sort of) have mutual respect for each other by the end of the film. Birds of Prey has the most female protagonists in a DC superhero movie so far, and that should be celebrated.

9 Comedy

Prior to Birds of Prey, Shazam was the only other DCEU film to focus on the comedic side of things to carry its story. Birds of Prey does this too, but in a way that’s totally different and new to the DCEU.

It combines the dark tone of movies like Batman vs Superman with comedic elements to create the dark humor that makes Harley Quinn such a fun character to watch on screen. There are plenty of hilarious moments in Birds Of Prey, but the film strikes a great balance between funny and more serious scenes.

8 Action Sequences

The action sequences in Birds of Prey are crazy, mainly because of Harley Quinn’s crazy tendencies. Part of the reason why the action is so intense is that the film is rated R, but the sequences just look great.

When Harley, Black Canary, Huntress, and Renee Montoya finally team up, their fight against Roman Sionis’s minions inside the funhouse is one of the best scenes of the entire film. What makes Birds of Prey even better is that even though there are loads of action sequences, they don’t take anything away from the plot.

7 Lighter Tone

Films like Batman vs Superman and Suicide Squad are very dark in tone and style. While that’s not necessarily a bad thing, the DC Extended Universe has a habit of taking itself too seriously at times.

Thankfully, Birds of Prey balances its light and dark moments well, striking the perfect mix of sharp comedy and shocking violence that one would expect from a Harley Quinn movie. Of course, like any superhero/supervillain movie, there are scary, sad, and violent parts; however, because of the nature of Harley Quinn, who turns everything into a joke, Birds of Prey isn’t heavy.

6 Captures The Spirit of Harley Quinn Perfectly

Birds of Prey fantastically captures the chaotic spirit of its titular character. The colors are bright, the outfits are extravagant, and the plot is slightly crazy, but it’s as close to the personality of Harley Quinn as possible.

It is hard to not fall in love with the character after seeing Birds of Prey. Harley Quinn adopts a hyena, cries over an egg sandwich, and attacks a police station with glitter and color powder. Somehow, these decisions are all perfect for her character.

5 Less Focus On Core Heroes

What’s refreshing about the Birds of Prey is the decision to have a film that focuses on characters that are less known in the DC Universe. Birds of Prey introduces Black Canary and The Huntress, both of whom are more well known in DC’s Arrowverse, and Renee Montoya.

Each character has their own interlinking storylines, all of which are wrapped up nicely by the end of the film. It’s especially nice to see the origin stories of characters that aren’t so overdone in the DC Universe.

4 The R-Rating

One of the biggest differences between the other DC Extended Universe movies and Birds of Prey is the R-Rating. Of course, that higher rating offers the opportunity to do loads of other things that previous DC films couldn’t do.

A prime example is the level of violence depicted in Birds of Prey. There are several great action scenes that could never have been done in another DC film. Along with actually being allowed to swear, Harley Quinn has more room to be herself rather than in Suicide Squad, which was PG-13.

3 The Villain Is Great

Again, this could also have something to do with the film’s R-Rating giving the filmmakers more freedom to push the envelope, but Roman Sionis is one of the most exciting villains in the DC films so far.

The fairest point is that Sionis is human, whereas, in Wonder Woman, the titular hero battles a god, and in Suicide Squad, they battle a possessed evil enchantress. Ewan McGregor’s take on Roman Sionis is so different. He is just a very evil and powerful man who controls a lot of people, which is the perfect ammunition for Harley and the Birds of Prey to defeat him.

2 Birds of Prey Treats Harley Quinn Much Better

2015’s Suicide Squad brought together a league of super villains, including Harley Quinn, Boomerang, Katana, and a little bit of the Joker. The best part about Suicide Squad is Margot Robbie’s Harley Quinn, and she doesn’t get the attention she truly deserves in that film.

Thankfully, Birds of Prey fixes that problem by having Harley permanently break up with the Joker and allowing the character to find her own identity. Bird’s Of Prey gives Harley Quinn the emancipation she really deserves.

1 The Soundtrack

Unlike the other DCEU films, Birds of Prey has a great original motion picture soundtrack, one that matches Harley Quinn and the general craziness of the movie pretty well.

One of the weirdest moments of the movie was Harley’s dream sequence while she is getting beaten up by Sionis. However, there are other awesome remixes and original songs scattered through the film that make the pace a lot faster and the action scenes more dance-like.

While the score is great too, the soundtrack helps set Birds Of Prey apart from other films in the DC Extended Universe.

About The Author

Evi Lodge
(69 Articles Published)

Evi Lodge is a student and avid cinema-goer. She currently writes list articles, and when she is not writing or studying, she’s probably reading a good book and catching up on pop culture.

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