The thing I found a bit weird about the end fight (aside from how nobody seems to use guns, including the police, except when Harley/etc are in a position to easy defend against them), was the way they dumped an actual super power -- Black Canary's sonic voice -- into a movie where no one else used them at all. It was slightly hinted at when she broke a glass earlier on, but to go from that to blasting everyone away, just seemed like in was in the wrong movie.
This movie does still exist in the Snyderverse, after all
You know, the place where Superman and Wonder Woman and the Flash and Aquaman and Shazam all still reside? Where those heroes fought space monsters and living gods and vengeful sorcerers?
Screamy girl seems pretty banal in that context, no?
Yes, but there were no other powers referenced in this movie at all. Not even in passing, nor was there some sort of build up where Black Canary used her voice power in lesser ways before unleashing its full potential here -- no minor distractions, no breaking windows/obstacles/nothing. Just breaking a single glass when hitting a high note, which could have just been done mundanely given the silliness otherwise present. It just didn't feel like that kind of movie, until it suddenly was. Especially since the last DC movie was Joker, which had no super powers either.
John Wick is just an easy reference point, but Joker is filled with violence. He stabs one guy a bunch of times very much on screen and shoots another guy through the face and murders his mother on screen as well. These thing aren't hidden. Shawshank is filled with lots of violence, rape, murder and torture.
The point is not what it does to earn the R-rating, the point is that nothing it does to get the R-rating is actually interesting or useful to the story and so could have been excised or edited down to open its audience and help it reach a wider audience. Feel free to list anything extreme in the film that made it a better film and was worth the more restrictive rating. If you're going to take that rating then you need to be doing SOMETHING interesting with it to draw people in, because this is a film about Harley Quinn getting over her ex, the Joker, and there's no reason it should be failing as hard as it is right now apart from the obvious failings in the finished film and the marketing.
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Dark Raven XLaugh hard, run fast,be kindRegistered Userregular
Saw this in an abandoned theater, ruh roh!
This was the best DC movie, except maybe Shazam. I love how much Huntress got dunked on. Very good.
Birds of Prey was great. I dragged my husband and two friends along to see it. I was mildly interested based on the trailers (seemed fun, and Margot Robbie never disappoints), but after the critical reception was somehow positive I was so down to go. We saw a matinee today and yeah, there were maybe 10 other people in our showing. Huge bummer that this thing seems destined to tank. I know the trailers/character is off-putting to some people but it was a very fun romp. With a coherent story, even!
(V) ( ;,,; ) (V)
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RingoHe/Hima distinct lack of substanceRegistered Userregular
In retrospect not choosing to just have Margot Robbie drive a single-protagonist vehicle and adding a bunch of extra characters right off the bat may have been an unforced error.
Margot forced it to happen because more representation in comic book movies is a good thing. These characters are hopefully now linked to the Harley Quinn franchise and will have more chances at better characterization in the future
Otherwise the chances of Huntress/Cass/Montoya being in a movie are practically nil. Canary had a built in better chance by being a long standing Green Arrow love interest
A great line from this from the director "Art comforts the disturbed, and disturbs the comfortable."
Didn't mean to quote, meant to edit. It's been a long day lol
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AtomikaLive fast and get fucked or whateverRegistered Userregular
Todd Phillips wouldn’t know good cinema if it shot out of his ass
He’s a fucking homophobic, transphobic, misogynist shitbird, and the idea he has the slightest bit of directorial talent would be a laugh riot if we didn’t live in this timeline, where people like he and Peter Farrelly garner academy noms.
Whatever happened between Rosie Perez's character and her captain was so paper thin.
She went out shitfaced and aided 2 wanted fugitives in a gang war, resulting in multiple deaths, and no arrests of her accomplices. Then, her captain takes some credit, for what I don't know, maybe filling all the body bags, and Rosie leaves in disgust. Apparently the movie wants me to take her side, but I don't get it. She's a dirty cop and he's not. She'd get all the glory she's looking for if she'd stop tampering with evidence and cutting every corner she can find. Becoming a vigilante is the logical conclusion for her character, but not in the fun comic book way, in the real world narcissist that can't be bothered with rules way.
Huntress was fun.
Mary Elizabeth Winstead seems to have been the only cast member aware this was a comedy. She's the butt of a few jokes, but she rolls with it enough to make her likable, and she dishes out a couple jabs as well. She's not in the movie nearly enough.
Black Canary
She's the only part of the movie I've got no beef with. She's conflicted, she doesn't want to stick her neck out, but she also can't abide what her boss wants her to do. She's interesting and magnetic wherever she's on screen, the movie wants to go home with her, but it came to the dance with Harley, so it's gonna stick it out with her.
Harley
She's just not very fun this time out. She has her moments, her romance with the egg sandwich was cute, but on the whole, she didn't carry the film. Not a lot of laughs on the whole. I did like her therapist training peeking out from time to time, wish it would have led to a payoff.
Black Mask
He was yucky. Ewan really tried on this one, and he managed to make a real creep. Not much to say about him, other than I was glad to see him blow up, not a character I want to see more.
For everything about the Birds of Prey that did work for me, I found the whole quite boring. I wouldn't say I hated it, but nothing about it suggests a rewatch, either.
I dunno. I'd blame the trailers more than the R rating. Like, some people obviously enjoy the movie a lot. Some people in this thread do and there were a few women in the sparsely attending viewing I went to that were laughing and obviously enjoying themselves.
I don't get it (my opinions line up horrifyingly well with Atlas in Chains above) and I can't understand otherwise, but opinions are just that. They vary and people like different things.
I really think the trash trailers and horrible naming of the movie sunk it more than an R rating, though. Make amazing trailers like for Deadpool and you're fine with an R rating. The trailers were just so bad.
The release of the hair tie clip, which was so bad. kind of sunk the dagger in at a really bad time.
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AtomikaLive fast and get fucked or whateverRegistered Userregular
The budget was at least $84 million (some peg it higher, but I'll edit this and put the lower in). That also doesn't include ad spend, which probably ranged from $50 to $100 million.
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Yeah, but there's a lot going on for those drops I'd imagine like the next week's competition, initial buzz etc. It's well reviewed and next week...Sonic and Fantasy Island comes out. It might not crater. I'm not sure it's going to climb, it doesn't seem like a Valentine's flick either, but who knows.
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BlackDragon480Bluster KerfuffleMaster of Windy ImportRegistered Userregular
I've never seen a single 'What [Movie/Game/Book] is actually about' video that I've felt was worth watching.
I love the "ENDING EXPLAINED!" videos that I see so many links to on youtube. How else would you understand the ending of Billy Madison?
O'DOYLE RULEZ?!
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Brainiac 8Don't call me Shirley...Registered Userregular
There are many reasons Birds of Prey did poorly opening weekend.
The marketing was horrible.
The bad taste left from the Academy Award Winning Suicide Squad.
It looked like a horrible Birds of Prey movie. (also a marketing fault)
The R rating for a movie that followed a PG-13 rated movie probably also had an effect.
The title was a mouthful and probably put people off.
I have no interest in seeing Birds of Prey. I'm not a big fan of Harley Quinn. I am a big fan of the Birds of Prey and Black Canary. This is a Harley movie with bits of Birds of Prey in it. I'm also not into cursing or graphic gore, so I pretty much avoid R rated movies like this anyway. This movie just had so much going against it.
I will say that this movie should have been a Gotham City Sirens movie and I think it would have done better. Harley, Ivy, and Catwoman would have been a much more fun pairing.
As a counterpoint to the "R" decision, this isn't even the only mature-rated post-Joker Harley Quinn story out right now. And while I don't know how its ratings are in the nebulous streaming world, the animated TV show at least feels like it has a lot of buzz and positive reactions.
You know what? Nanowrimo's cancelled on account of the world is stupid.
Todd Phillips wouldn’t know good cinema if it shot out of his ass
He’s a fucking homophobic, transphobic, misogynist shitbird, and the idea he has the slightest bit of directorial talent would be a laugh riot if we didn’t live in this timeline, where people like he and Peter Farrelly garner academy noms.
ehhh I dont know, the fact that Joker was pretty good and BoP wasnt, is not helping your point.
Yes, with a quick verbal "boom." You take a man's peko, you deny him his dab, all that is left is to rise up and tear down the walls of Jericho with a ".....not!" -TexiKen
Yeah, but there's a lot going on for those drops I'd imagine like the next week's competition, initial buzz etc. It's well reviewed and next week...Sonic and Fantasy Island comes out. It might not crater. I'm not sure it's going to climb, it doesn't seem like a Valentine's flick either, but who knows.
I disagree with the later point: seems to me like it would have done well releasing on Valentine's day. Deadpool killed on Valentine's day; like it, Harley would come across as a "cool" date movie for younger adults. And if you had released it this Friday you could have added that angle into the marketing.
Yeah, but there's a lot going on for those drops I'd imagine like the next week's competition, initial buzz etc. It's well reviewed and next week...Sonic and Fantasy Island comes out. It might not crater. I'm not sure it's going to climb, it doesn't seem like a Valentine's flick either, but who knows.
I disagree with the later point: seems to me like it would have done well releasing on Valentine's day. Deadpool killed on Valentine's day; like it, Harley would come across as a "cool" date movie for younger adults. And if you had released it this Friday you could have added that angle into the marketing.
I think a "Galatines Day" Marketting for the movie could have worked as well.
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AbsoluteZeroThe new film by Quentin KoopantinoRegistered Userregular
The TV ads for BOP seem very try-hard edgy much like a Joker with face tattoos. The brief snippets of Harley you get makes her come off as insufferable at best. I'm not surprised BOP isn't doing hot at the box office.
Yeah, but there's a lot going on for those drops I'd imagine like the next week's competition, initial buzz etc. It's well reviewed and next week...Sonic and Fantasy Island comes out. It might not crater. I'm not sure it's going to climb, it doesn't seem like a Valentine's flick either, but who knows.
I disagree with the later point: seems to me like it would have done well releasing on Valentine's day. Deadpool killed on Valentine's day; like it, Harley would come across as a "cool" date movie for younger adults. And if you had released it this Friday you could have added that angle into the marketing.
I think a "Galatines Day" Marketting for the movie could have worked as well.
Possibly, I've been hearing a lot of Galantine's Day talk around the office. They're all skewing a bit older though, not sure BoP is something they'd go see, more likely they're going to see The Gentlemen.
The reasons I didn't go see BoP are that I'm kind of burnt out on super heros by the MCU, and I have not seen any movie by DC that was anything more than "meh". (I haven't seen Wonder Woman(which I hear is pretty good)) Which is sad because the DCAU is freaking awesome.
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Inquisitor772 x Penny Arcade Fight Club ChampionA fixed point in space and timeRegistered Userregular
edited February 2020
If BoP actually good then yeah, I would 100% blame the marketing and the rating for its performance.
Edit: Well maybe 80%. Not making it a Harley Quinn movie and Margot Robbie vehicle also made it an uphill battle.
Well, there's the Suicide Squad sequel being done by James Gunn, which will undoubtedly be good unless there's studio meddling. (And at this point the attitude is "do whatever you feel like," so hopefully not.)
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Brainiac 8Don't call me Shirley...Registered Userregular
James Gunn going to DC was kind of WB's 'gotcha' moment to Marvel.
I'm sure they hired him with a 'do whatever you did to make that movie with a talking Raccoon and Tree a hit please.'
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I mean, Joker got an R and doesn’t have half the violence or other things mentioned above.
Black Swan got an R. Shawshank Redemption got an R. Come off it, man. This is an empty argument.
The point is not what it does to earn the R-rating, the point is that nothing it does to get the R-rating is actually interesting or useful to the story and so could have been excised or edited down to open its audience and help it reach a wider audience. Feel free to list anything extreme in the film that made it a better film and was worth the more restrictive rating. If you're going to take that rating then you need to be doing SOMETHING interesting with it to draw people in, because this is a film about Harley Quinn getting over her ex, the Joker, and there's no reason it should be failing as hard as it is right now apart from the obvious failings in the finished film and the marketing.
This was the best DC movie, except maybe Shazam. I love how much Huntress got dunked on. Very good.
Margot forced it to happen because more representation in comic book movies is a good thing. These characters are hopefully now linked to the Harley Quinn franchise and will have more chances at better characterization in the future
Otherwise the chances of Huntress/Cass/Montoya being in a movie are practically nil. Canary had a built in better chance by being a long standing Green Arrow love interest
A great line from this from the director "Art comforts the disturbed, and disturbs the comfortable."
Didn't mean to quote, meant to edit. It's been a long day lol
He’s a fucking homophobic, transphobic, misogynist shitbird, and the idea he has the slightest bit of directorial talent would be a laugh riot if we didn’t live in this timeline, where people like he and Peter Farrelly garner academy noms.
Huntress was fun.
Black Canary
Harley
Black Mask
For everything about the Birds of Prey that did work for me, I found the whole quite boring. I wouldn't say I hated it, but nothing about it suggests a rewatch, either.
At any rate, the flick made $33 million at the box office -- WB was expecting $50 million. So yeah, it's safe to say that R rating was a mistake.
I don't get it (my opinions line up horrifyingly well with Atlas in Chains above) and I can't understand otherwise, but opinions are just that. They vary and people like different things.
I really think the trash trailers and horrible naming of the movie sunk it more than an R rating, though. Make amazing trailers like for Deadpool and you're fine with an R rating. The trailers were just so bad.
The release of the hair tie clip, which was so bad. kind of sunk the dagger in at a really bad time.
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- $33 million is nearly half its budget
- R-rated comic book movies have done just fine, what are you talking about
Yep, Blade made $70mill domestic/$131mill worldwide on a $40mill budget in 1998.
~ Buckaroo Banzai
I love the "ENDING EXPLAINED!" videos that I see so many links to on youtube. How else would you understand the ending of Billy Madison?
That's not great given the drop-off in attendance after the opening movies tend to have these days.
- WB was expecting to make $50 million.
- This particular movie seems like it would really appeal to teens, moreso than stuff like Joker or Blade.
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O'DOYLE RULEZ?!
~ Buckaroo Banzai
The marketing was horrible.
The bad taste left from the Academy Award Winning Suicide Squad.
It looked like a horrible Birds of Prey movie. (also a marketing fault)
The R rating for a movie that followed a PG-13 rated movie probably also had an effect.
The title was a mouthful and probably put people off.
I have no interest in seeing Birds of Prey. I'm not a big fan of Harley Quinn. I am a big fan of the Birds of Prey and Black Canary. This is a Harley movie with bits of Birds of Prey in it. I'm also not into cursing or graphic gore, so I pretty much avoid R rated movies like this anyway. This movie just had so much going against it.
I will say that this movie should have been a Gotham City Sirens movie and I think it would have done better. Harley, Ivy, and Catwoman would have been a much more fun pairing.
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ehhh I dont know, the fact that Joker was pretty good and BoP wasnt, is not helping your point.
I disagree with the later point: seems to me like it would have done well releasing on Valentine's day. Deadpool killed on Valentine's day; like it, Harley would come across as a "cool" date movie for younger adults. And if you had released it this Friday you could have added that angle into the marketing.
I think a "Galatines Day" Marketting for the movie could have worked as well.
Possibly, I've been hearing a lot of Galantine's Day talk around the office. They're all skewing a bit older though, not sure BoP is something they'd go see, more likely they're going to see The Gentlemen.
Edit: Well maybe 80%. Not making it a Harley Quinn movie and Margot Robbie vehicle also made it an uphill battle.
*holds my beautiful big dumb boy Aquaman*
how dare you.
If it makes you feel any better, I love Momoa in the role. He just needs a better movie to be in.
I mean, we already have two Aquaman movies, and that’s two more than I’d ever have thought possible just a few years ago.
I'm sure they hired him with a 'do whatever you did to make that movie with a talking Raccoon and Tree a hit please.'
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