Birds of Prey (and the Fantabulous Emancipation of One Harley Quinn) (2020)

Harley Quinn narrates this thing out of order, and for the first half that’s like hearing a great story from a friend who keeps saying wait, go back. The title promises a team, and the team doesn’t exist until the final act. Then it’s a candy-colored blast. Margot Robbie plays Harley like a cartoon who knows she’s in a cartoon, and the police evidence room brawl, fought mostly with a beanbag shotgun, is one of the best fight scenes DC has put on screen. Mary Elizabeth Winstead’s Huntress steals her few scenes by rehearsing scary lines that come out awkward. Ewan McGregor’s Roman is a fussy, petty villain who throws tantrums like a toddler in a nice suit, which is fun until the movie remembers he’s supposed to be frightening. It made $205.5 million worldwide on a reported $82M to $100M. A 6.4 because the fights are top shelf and the story takes forever to reach its own premise. $6,746 says you eat your next egg sandwich standing over the counter with both hands, taking zero chances.

What works: The evidence room and fun house fights are inventive and crisp, and Margot Robbie gives Harley real comic timing.

What doesn’t: The scrambled timeline stalls the first half, and the women in the title barely share the screen until the very end.

Who it’s for: People who liked Harley best in Suicide Squad and wanted a whole movie of her doing her own thing.