"Birds of Prey" has the makings of a good movie, but falls short on several fronts. Is this the worst DCEU movie? No, it's not, but it is not the best either. This movie is really more of a Harley Quinn movie that introduces the Birds of Prey, so the title is a tad misleading. However, there are fun moments in the movie. Some of the action is fun and there is a lot of pretty colorful visuals. I couldn't but help feeling the action was too choreographed. There are a lot of instances where it seems like the goons get hit once, do a backflip, and lay on the ground unconscious, or they stay in one spot for an unreasonably long time which leads to one of the protagonists being able to do some powerful move dispose of them. There is a lot of style in this movie (much like "Suicide Squad") and a bit of substance, but not much. None of the characters are that sympathetic. The most compelling character is probably Huntress and she is barely in the movie. Harley Quinn is clearly the focus and she offers some fun Deadpool-esque moments, but that is also part of the problem! This feels like a wannabe "Deadpool" movie, and it just isn't on that level. It is nice though that the story is different than a lot of other superhero movies on the market. There is not some big bad wanting to destroy the world, rather it is Harley Quinn trying to survive in a world where her protective shield (the Joker) is out of the picture, which is a nice change of pace. Ewan McGregor does good as the antagonist, Black Mask, but the character isn't fleshed out enough to make him overly memorable. Margot Robbie's acting is part sincere, and part over the top. I don't know if it was her decision or director Cathy Yan's but either way the character is sometimes portrayed more obnoxious than funny. On the other hand, her stunts are pretty cool most of the time and she does have some fun and funny moments. "Wonder Woman" was a big moment for women in superhero films. It was empowering and a very well done superhero film in general. This movie strives to be empowering as well, but seems to almost be a satire on empowerment in the process. I heard stories of people moved to tears by the empowering message of "Wonder Woman" and I imagine you would be hard pressed to find anyone moved that much by "Birds of Prey." This movie does show though that women are very capable of taking full creative control of a superhero movie. The dialogue is so-so, there are a lot of attempts at humor, but only a handful of gags and jokes really land. The plot is a bit all over the place, especially in the first half, but I think that is part of the gimmick with Harley Quinn, she is all over the place, so I actually kind of liked that this movie is somewhat formatted like the scrambled mind of the main character. This feels like a comic book movie with all of its bright colors, fun action, and eccentric characters. Like I said, this movie is not all bad. The imagery is fun and there is some catchy music thrown in with the action that makes it a bit more fun. I don't think this is a bad movie, I just think it is flawed and could have been much better. It is a step in a better direction for the DCEU on some fronts. Overall, I give this movie a 6.5/10.