The DCEU (or whatever we're supposed to be calling it these days) got a shot in the arm this week with Harley Quinn's brand new movie: Birds of Prey and the Fantabulous Emancipation of one Harley Quinn--or Birds of Prey for short. It joins the ranks of modern DC movies like Shazam, Wonder Woman, and Aquaman while also bridging some of the more confusing continuity gaps between the new generation and the old one. Which means that, yes, it does actually connect to Suicide Squad but, no, don't worry, you don't need to remember anything about that movie to enjoy it.

　　Picking up in the messy aftermath of Harley's break up with The Joker, Birds of Prey is a wild, neon-splashed ride through a Gotham City we've never seen before. It's entirely street level--no one is trying to take over the planet, or even the city. There are a handful of metahuman abilities floating around (like Black Canary's canary cry) but otherwise, it's all bone-crunching brawls. Without Joker's protection, just about everyone in Gotham has realized that they can go after Harley as much as they'd like, which brings not only GCPD officer Renee Montoya into the fray, but also crime lord Roman Sionis and his right-hand-man Victor Zsasz. Montoya also winds up pulling lounge singer Dinah Lance into the mix, who accidentally involves teenage pickpocket Cassandra Cain, who becomes a potential get-out-of-jail-free card for Harley--and, well. You get the idea. Things get as messy as they do complicated. And that is to say nothing about the crossbow-wielding assassin Helena Bertinelli who winds up involved for her own, very specific set of reasons.

　　Mike and Meg are here to break down Birds of Prey in all of it's chaotic, fun-loving, face-punching mayhem--what they loved, what could have been better, and of course, what it all might mean for future DC movies like James Gunn's Suicide Squad. But be warned--this is a spoiler review, so if you haven't seen the movie, please come back once you're in the know!