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| Scene from Birds of Prey (2020) |
Welcome to the sporadic column Trailing Off in which I take a look at a trailer from the past week and analyze its potential. This will be done using an obnoxious amount of analyzing and personal thoughts on the cast and crew as well as expectations. I will attempt to highlight films ranging from new blockbusters to lesser known indies and give them their due. Partially to spread awareness, I do believe that there is an art to the sell and will do my best to highlight why these trailers matter or don't with approval (trove) or disapproval (trash). So please stop by, recommend some trailers, and I will see you next time.
Trailer in Discussion
Directed By: Cathy Yan
Written By: Chuck Dixon & Jordan B. Gorfinkel & Greg Land (Comics), Christina Hodson (Written By)
Starring: Margot Robbie, Mary Elizabeth Winstead, Ewan McGregor
Starring: Margot Robbie, Mary Elizabeth Winstead, Ewan McGregor
- Preamble -
While the film was met with a largely negative reaction, the 2016 movie Suicide Squad received acclaim for one character in particular: Harley Quinn. The longtime TV-and-comic icon made her big-screen debut as a wisecracking character with a manic love for mayhem and a toxic relationship with The Joker. It's a performance that has withstood better than just about everything else in the film, leading to one of the more popular comic book Halloween costumes in recent years. She's immediately familiar, and Margot Robbie gives her a charismatic depth that far exceeds the film she was placed in. With that said, it's hard to imagine that she's only been in one film. In an era where every character feels exploited beyond recognition, Harley Quinn remains one-hit-wonder.
That is, until next year's Birds of Prey which reunited Robbie with the character for the first time since her Oscar-nominated role in I, Tonya. She has slowly risen up the ranks as a performer to watch, and with conversation rising in the time of how female characters are treated in superhero movies, it feels like her second outing will be something grander. Her Suicide Squad outfit was patchy, ripped and fetishistic. The early promos for Birds of Prey have featured a more feminine touch where she wears fur coats and dresses in a girly form of sexy. Considering that it also features Cathy Yan as a director, it is looking to be a different take on the character.
The year 2020 may end up being a fascinating one for Harley Quinn, especially if director James Gunn's The Suicide Squad reboots the characters yet again and has her in another strange form. Harley Quinn at this point seems malleable, able to fit whatever the director wants. But what exactly does Birds of Prey have that will make her solo outing worthwhile? As the unnecessarily long subtitle suggests, this is an Emancipation of sorts, meaning that it will rewrite the character in more triumphant ways. She may have existed before Wonder Woman redefined what strong independent comic book character could be, but now we get to see Harley Quinn as something more. The first trailer hopefully will show us how that will go down.
That is, until next year's Birds of Prey which reunited Robbie with the character for the first time since her Oscar-nominated role in I, Tonya. She has slowly risen up the ranks as a performer to watch, and with conversation rising in the time of how female characters are treated in superhero movies, it feels like her second outing will be something grander. Her Suicide Squad outfit was patchy, ripped and fetishistic. The early promos for Birds of Prey have featured a more feminine touch where she wears fur coats and dresses in a girly form of sexy. Considering that it also features Cathy Yan as a director, it is looking to be a different take on the character.
The year 2020 may end up being a fascinating one for Harley Quinn, especially if director James Gunn's The Suicide Squad reboots the characters yet again and has her in another strange form. Harley Quinn at this point seems malleable, able to fit whatever the director wants. But what exactly does Birds of Prey have that will make her solo outing worthwhile? As the unnecessarily long subtitle suggests, this is an Emancipation of sorts, meaning that it will rewrite the character in more triumphant ways. She may have existed before Wonder Woman redefined what strong independent comic book character could be, but now we get to see Harley Quinn as something more. The first trailer hopefully will show us how that will go down.
- Dissection -
The one skepticism that Suicide Squad and Birds of Prey share is that the D.C.E.U. is a great marketer. Their trailers are cool, often resorting to small individual moments that could make gifs. The whole marketing for Birds of Prey up to this point has been undeniably fun and colorful, making a vision of pure delight that can still be delivered on. However, this is an approach that isn't unlike Suicide Squad's childish anarchy artwork that labeled them the "worst heroes ever." On this level, Birds of Prey remains the most exciting movie of 2020 so far, producing pictures that jut out at the audience and make for an exciting vision of Harley Quinn lying on cars and wheeling a mallet around. She's tough but not overly sexualized. She's new and improved!
The trailer that accompanied this marketing continues this trend by at least being a whole lot of fun. For starters, those who disliked Jared Leto's performance of The Joker may not have to deal with him. There's a picture of him crossed out with a dagger thrown through his face. It's a delightfully comic picture and one that suggests that this film is about a post-break-up Harley looking for a new independence. She has her friends around, the Birds of Prey, and they're going to get into a sense of wild fun. The trailer has no shortage of that, this time not relying on covers of pop songs and finding a reason to believe in one's self. There's confidence for this in a way that feels like the superhero version of Gloria Gaynor's "I Will Survive."
Considering that the D.C.E.U. has taken to being more creatively aloof in recent years with films like Wonder Woman and Shazam!, it's easy to see this film following suit. They're starting to become fun again, and that's the biggest relief of all. Suicide Squad still holds a divisive place in pop culture despite its big success, and that's what keeps this film from seeming greater. Alas, allowing Robbie to portray the character with unbridled glee and madness may lead it to some fun corners, exploring a more obscure side of pop culture that has learned from the past mistakes and is now presenting a world that is inclusive and forward-thinking. So long as Harley Quinn gets to have the girl's party that she is promised, this film stands a chance of being a great, unique place in the pop culture conversation next year.
- One Sentence Sell -
Harley Quinn is on the market again, and she's looking to have a great time.
- Trove or Trash -
TROVE
This is a cautious approval in large part because of how much Suicide Squad wasn't a runaway success. I am confident that they will learn from their mistakes and make a stronger movie, but there hasn't been a great live-action Harley Quinn movie yet, and it's hard to understand if this will help define her as something greater than trashy sidekick. If she can be this strong and independent figure, she may be able to be an icon of greater value. Considering that this is likely coming out this week to play in from of Joker (though not even from Birds of Prey's universe, which is funnier), it feels like a strong symbol that this is going to be the alternative we want. Joker is dark. Birds of Prey is lighthearted. it's great to have a world this diverse, though hopefully it's able to improve upon its past mistakes and become a great surprise. That is still yet to be seen.
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