Birds of Prey Trailer Analysis

0:08: Right off the bat (heh), one of the things I’ve liked the most about the Birds of Prey that we’ve already seen is the way that it uses old Hollywood glamour touchstones as this subversion point for its man-free female characters; Margot Robbie, in these dark glasses, coiffed hair, and scarf, is all Katherine Hepburn in some spunky, stabby His Girl Friday moment, and I’m here for it in every sense.

0:20: Oh, thank God, there is going to be not one jot of Jared Leto’s Joker in this movie. Margot Robbie’s light dunking on him in the promotion for Birds of Prey is already one of my favourite things about it, and even the notion of his character exploding in a fiery car wreck brings me great delight.

0:38: And Margot Robbie, free of the outlandish garbage of Suicide Squad and its aggressive overuse of her scantily-clad body, actually looks like she’s having fun. Robbie has proved herself a great actress since her first turn in this role, and I can’t wait to see what she’ll do with such an effervescent and individual cinematic presence.

0:45: Victor Zsasz is probably my favourite Batman-universe villain (especially in the Kevin Smith stories on his character), and one who I never feel has gotten the on-screen outing that he deserves (least of all in Gotham, Christ almighty). I’m not convinced about Chris Messina in this role, but I’m pleased that he’s at least being given the front-and-centre treatment he deserves.

1:03: Alright, look, there’s nothing I like more than action scenes where the people in them actually look like they’re loving every moment of it, and I adore the way this is shot and the way Robbie interacts with the choreography. Good stuff, no notes.

1:05: Ugh, and what better symbol for the emancipation of the image of woman seen as nothing more than an accessory to men than Marilyn Monroe? This tiny little clip is tantalising to me because I am a slag for meta-narrative, and also for anyone who’s out there trying to rehabilitate the brutalised image of Monroe as Hollywood’s go-to bimbo.

1:15: I loved Oceans 8 mostly and only because of the girl-on-girl camraderie, and I’d be lying if I said I wasn’t pretty sure that this movie was going to push those same buttons for me. Also, Mary Elizabeth Winstead is cool, so there’s that, too.

1:29: I’m not a big fan of DC’s washed-out colour pallette for the most part, but Birds of Prey in the hands of director Cathy Yan looks a little more lively – more a deliberate twist on noir than just abject greyscale.

1:46: It’s a true tragedy that Suicide Squad wasted Harley Quinn and Robbie’s turn in the role so badly, and a gift that she got another shot at it with Birds of Prey. The charisma here is just finger-kissing good.

1:50: Renee Montoya is a really interesting addition to this cast – not only is she not a superhero/villain, but she’s actually a purveyor of traditional justice as a Gotham City cop. Rosie Perez has the meat and presence for the role, and I’m keen to see how they work her conflict into the story.

1:56: Ewan McGregor also basically looks like he’s having a great time in this and frankly, after Doctor Sleep, he deserves it.

2:05: It seems like a lot of the action has a more deliberately and overtly stylised choreography to it, and that could be a fun break from the hyper-realism we’ve seen in action trends recently. Also, look how pretty!

2:16: That hunky Wayne guy. So, basically, any version of Batman who wasn’t played by Ben Affleck, right?

All in, I’m utterly hyped for this movie – we still have a month to go, but I’m already pencilling it as one of my blockbusters to book first-night tickets for. What did you think of the trailer? Are you interested to see how this plays out, or are you tired of the DCEU already? Let us know in the comments below!

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By Louise MacGregor