The more DC and Warner Bros moves away from their original idea for a shared comic book universe (seen at its nadir by Suicide Squad), the better off they seem. This week, they release Birds of Prey (officially known as Birds of Prey: And the Fantabulous Emancipation of One Harley Quinn), a brash and undeniably fun flick that indulges in chaos, girl power, and pure pop silliness. The more it leans into the craziness, the better off it is. It’s only when this veers closer to your garden variety superhero type tale that it runs into trouble. Luckily, that’s only a sporadic issue here. Powered by Margot Robbie as Harley Quinn, this is likely to make a killing at the box office. The film is a spinoff from Suicide Squad, following the adventures of Harley Quinn (Robbie) after she breaks up with the Joker. Turns out, most of Gotham City wants her dead, and without Joker’s protection, she’s fair game. At the top of the list is gangster Roman Sionis (Ewan McGregor), also known as Black Mask. Along with his enforcer Victor Zsasz (Chris Messina), he largely runs Gotham. Especially when Harley gets involved with a girl named Cassandra Cain (Ella Jay Basco), who has something Roman desires, he unleashes hell to get them both. As Harley evades capture, she comes into the circle of Detective Renee Montoya (Rosie Perez), singer Dinah Lance (Jurnee Smollett-Bell), who goes by the name Black Canary, and assassin Helena Bertinelli (Mary Elizabeth Winstead), who likes to be known as Huntress. They all hate Roman, they all need the girl for one reason or another, and to survive, they’ll have to stick together. There, the Birds of Prey are born. Cathy Yan directs a screenplay by Christina Hodson, with a score by Daniel Pemberton and cinematography by Matthew Libatique. Supporting players include Ali Wong, among others. Margot Robbie is one of the main selling points here, and for good reason. An energetic performance that builds on what she did as the one saving grace of Suicide Squad, she’s a full blown star here. Embracing the mania of the character leads to some really fun moments, especially involving her pet hyena, as well as her love of a breakfast sandwich. Likewise, the line deliveries by Mary Elizabeth Winstead are a riot. Scribe Christina Hodson makes each character unique and vibrant, while director Cathy Yan does the same with [...]