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Birds Of Prey (2020)

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KnownUnknown Since: Jan, 2001
#326: Feb 12th 2020 at 1:56:44 PM

It’s the “skintight spandex” part that’s the problem in live action, plus the iconic pattern design being difficult to keep perfect in action, hard to move in a frenetic way in without harming the costume.

Animation can easily make that work in a way that doesn’t look like a gimp suit, to the point where the form fitting outfit is iconically considered the least sexual outfit she has. Live action has a few more problems with it.

You’d have to do something like how Captain Marvel did Carol’s costume, and even that’s designed more like armor. Across mediums, it took CW’s Flash forever to think up a costume that was workable and also fully retained the comic-style look.

Edited by KnownUnknown on Feb 12th 2020 at 2:03:09 AM

slimcoder The Head of the Hydra Since: May, 2013
The Head of the Hydra
#327: Feb 12th 2020 at 2:33:50 PM

On further thought I recently bought the Harleene graphic novel before I went to see the movie yesterday in honor of it though I havn’t read it yet, the first page had a her shot of her in costume & what’s really missing the for the character here is that distinctive color scheme. The red & black or red & dark-blue.

I don’t mind if they don’t use the jester outfit as long as they still use that clear color scheme. Because Harley just looks so muted here with the platinum blond hair & extremly light clothing. It’s kinda hard to visiualize her in my head as a result compared to say the Injustice games or Telltales games of her which still use the color scheme.

Of course Batman The Brave & The Bold has a flapper girl done entirely in black & grey which is also pretty memorable.

Edited by slimcoder on Feb 12th 2020 at 2:34:10 AM

"I am Alpharius. This is a lie."
TravelPsych Since: Sep, 2016
#328: Feb 13th 2020 at 6:02:41 AM

I love her style in this movie but see how some people think she looks muted, even in comparison to the other characters, including Cassandra Cain (in name only?) who just dresses like any tomboyish kid whose guardians don’t care how they dress.

I don’t envy the costume designers trying to balance an outlandish look that’s believable, looks practical for fighting, iconic, but not overly cartoonish. I think outfits inspired by the roller derby scene are a great direction to go in. I wouldn’t mind seeing a modern take on the outfits from the GLOW-era of female wrestlers either.

What I liked about the outfits and made them work for me was that I think of her as intending to be suited in most scenes. It was mostly her just dressing to go out and finding herself in sticky situations. The lack of intentional suiting up like in the Suicide Squad made it easier to accept the outfits for me because she wasn’t declaring any of them to be her default costumed look.

CharlesPhipps Since: Jan, 2001
#329: Feb 14th 2020 at 8:13:58 AM

Here's my review of the movie.

https://unitedfederationofcharles.blogspot.com/2020/02/harley-quinn-and-birds-of-prey-review.html

I gave it a 9/10 despite its flaws. Weirdly, I had more issues with Huntress' depiction and casting than I did anyone else (which is to say any at all).

Author of The Rules of Supervillainy, Cthulhu Armageddon, and United States of Monsters.
alliterator Since: Jan, 2001
#330: Feb 14th 2020 at 8:22:10 AM

I loved Huntress's depiction and her casting. What was your issue with it?

Ultimatum Disasturbator from The Wiggle Room (Old as dirt) Relationship Status: Who needs love when you have waffles?
Disasturbator
#332: Feb 14th 2020 at 9:24:06 AM

And their budget according to Google was

97.1 million USD

Well,shit

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caivu Since: Sep, 2014
#333: Feb 14th 2020 at 9:48:14 AM

[up]And other sources say the budget was as low as $82 million. Plus, those earnings are only current through Thursday.

My stories on AO3.
Lyendith Since: Mar, 2011
CharlesPhipps Since: Jan, 2001
#335: Feb 14th 2020 at 10:32:31 AM

Mary Elizabeth Winstead is about the least Sicilian-looking woman in the world.

Also, Helena Bertinelli is a odd choice to be the shy awkward trained murder hobo one. It's kind of like they substituted Cassandra Caine's backstory for the Huntress.

Author of The Rules of Supervillainy, Cthulhu Armageddon, and United States of Monsters.
alliterator Since: Jan, 2001
#336: Feb 14th 2020 at 11:07:02 AM

It's kind of like they substituted Cassandra Caine's backstory for the Huntress.
They really didn't. Cassandra Cain's backstory is that her father was the world's greatest assassin and wanted to raise her to be the ultimate assassin, able to read body language so that she would know what someone was going to do seconds before they do it. Cain didn't talk because she was shy, she didn't talk because she didn't know how to speak. (She also refused to kill anybody after the first time she killed someone, unlike Huntress, who has no qualms about killing bad people.)

Edited by alliterator on Feb 14th 2020 at 11:10:21 AM

CharlesPhipps Since: Jan, 2001
#337: Feb 14th 2020 at 11:12:22 AM

Sure.

Except Cassandra Cain was socially awkward in ADDITION to being mute.

Author of The Rules of Supervillainy, Cthulhu Armageddon, and United States of Monsters.
alliterator Since: Jan, 2001
#338: Feb 14th 2020 at 11:29:42 AM

Still, their backstories are not at all similar. Movie Huntress and Comic Huntress have pretty much the same backstory, too. It's just a case of Reality Ensues — if you've been raised almost your whole life to enact vengeance for your family, you are going to be socially awkward.

Edited by alliterator on Feb 14th 2020 at 11:32:36 AM

slimcoder The Head of the Hydra Since: May, 2013
The Head of the Hydra
#339: Feb 14th 2020 at 12:49:54 PM

Shame Huntress appears the least.

Her whole schtick being a competent assassin but being socially awkward as hell was surprisngly charming & amusing.

"I am Alpharius. This is a lie."
CharlesPhipps Since: Jan, 2001
#340: Feb 14th 2020 at 6:36:35 PM

Fun fact: The movie has a 54% male audience because men love Harley Quinn and sexy ladies kicking ass.

https://screenrant.com/birds-prey-harley-quinn-movie-audience-men-women/

It was women who didn't show up in the numbers they did for other films.

Author of The Rules of Supervillainy, Cthulhu Armageddon, and United States of Monsters.
slimcoder The Head of the Hydra Since: May, 2013
The Head of the Hydra
#341: Feb 14th 2020 at 6:40:20 PM

Huh what was that thing about Harley having an already large teenage girl fanbase but the movie failing to capitalize on that?

"I am Alpharius. This is a lie."
CharlesPhipps Since: Jan, 2001
#342: Feb 14th 2020 at 6:41:40 PM

Well it's an R-rated movie.

And it was weirdly marketed too.

Author of The Rules of Supervillainy, Cthulhu Armageddon, and United States of Monsters.
eagleoftheninth Shop all day, greed is free from a dreamed portrait, imperfect Since: May, 2013 Relationship Status: With my statistically significant other
Shop all day, greed is free
#343: Feb 14th 2020 at 7:24:57 PM

Hmm, any chance that the stigma against "girl power" movie marketing might've ended up driving female viewers away because they didn't want to be seen flocking to the movie just because it had female leads?

One day, we will read his name in the news and cheer.
Beatman1 Since: Feb, 2014 Relationship Status: Gone fishin'
#344: Feb 14th 2020 at 7:28:55 PM

[up]That marketing turns off both sexes from what I’ve seen. It signals they have nothing else to sell the movie on.

Tuckerscreator (4 Score & 7 Years Ago) Relationship Status: Drift compatible
#345: Feb 14th 2020 at 7:32:41 PM

Captain Marvel literally had ads with "HERo" in the tagline and it made a billion.

Edited by Tuckerscreator on Feb 14th 2020 at 7:35:13 AM

slimcoder The Head of the Hydra Since: May, 2013
The Head of the Hydra
#346: Feb 14th 2020 at 7:34:30 PM

I’m gonna assume that people aren’t watching this movie for reasons entirely unrelated to girl power.

[up] Pfffft oh that is terrible. [lol]

Edited by slimcoder on Feb 14th 2020 at 7:34:54 AM

"I am Alpharius. This is a lie."
Beatman1 Since: Feb, 2014 Relationship Status: Gone fishin'
#347: Feb 14th 2020 at 7:36:02 PM

[up][up]Captain Marvel was tied to the MCU, which in itself is a money making juggernaut.

You need something to support the "female hero". The MCU will do that. A Suicide Squad sequel, or reboots of franchises that have exhausted all public goodwill will not. This was a pseudo-sequel to SS with no Joker, no Will Smith, and a lot of talk about male gaze which is poison to audiences.

Edited by Beatman1 on Feb 14th 2020 at 10:40:23 AM

alliterator Since: Jan, 2001
#348: Feb 14th 2020 at 8:15:39 PM

Captain Marvel was tied to the MCU, which in itself is a money making juggernaut.
Lots of fanboys bring things up, like, "Oh, it wouldn't have made a billion if it wasn't in the MCU."

Except most MCU movies don't make a billion. Ant-Man and the Wasp, the first film to come after Infinity War, made $622.7 million, far less than the $1.128 billion Captain Marvel made. So it couldn't have simply been "Oh, it's the MCU" that did it.

a lot of talk about male gaze which is poison to audiences.
The only time "male gaze" was mentioned was in articles that most audience members never read. And it was pretty much only one article, too. So this point is bogus, too.

Edited by alliterator on Feb 14th 2020 at 8:17:28 AM

Tuckerscreator (4 Score & 7 Years Ago) Relationship Status: Drift compatible
#349: Feb 14th 2020 at 8:18:57 PM

Captain Marvel was tied to the MCU, which in itself is a money making juggernaut.

Which is my point. Brand was a more important factor than the make of an ad.

Beatman1 Since: Feb, 2014 Relationship Status: Gone fishin'
#350: Feb 14th 2020 at 8:23:23 PM

[up]That’s the truth. I’m just saying without it, what was there wouldn’t sell the film on its own.

Especially since more men did see the film than women, which means it was less about feminine vs masculine and more about no one wanted a Harley Quinn story without Joker.

Edited by Beatman1 on Feb 14th 2020 at 11:27:20 AM


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