Harley Quinn and Batman (2017):

Harley Quinn and Batman (2017):

“Batman and Nightwing are forced to team with the Joker's sometimes-girlfriend Harley Quinn to stop a global threat brought about by Poison Ivy and Jason Woodrue, the Floronic Man.”

Harley Quinn and Batman team up to stop Poison Ivy. Batman's former sidekick Nightwing finds Harley working as a waitress in a cosplay-based restaurant, and figures she knows where Ivy is. Harley says she wants to just live a normal life. Eventually they tickle each other, and decide to work together.

Now, usually the DC movie universe doesn't like to make fun of itself. But, this is a Harley Quinn comedy. So, it's much more slapstick and fart jokes than the usual Batman fare. I kind of liked it. They have fun. They sing karaoke before they find out where Ivy is, thanks to a tip.

Turns out, Ivy is in Louisiana working with Floronic Man to turn all life into plants. Harley pleads with Ivy, and is able to convince her to stop. But, she can't stop Floronic Man. She tells Batman that if he's just made of plants, they should be able to just burn him. (In comically whispered dialogue.) Nightwing and Batman kiss her cheek, and that's all folks.

It's pretty good for a DC animated movie. Especially for a DC comedy. You definitely have to be in the mood for this one. I don't know. Watch it with some snacks. Be prepared for fart jokes. If you like Harley Quinn, and have a good sense of humor, you should enjoy.

Birds of Prey (2020) a.k.a. Harley Quinn: Birds of Prey:

Birds of Prey (2020) a.k.a. Harley Quinn: Birds of Prey:

“It's open season on Harley Quinn when her explosive breakup with the Joker puts a big fat target on her back.”

Right away, we're given a nice little animated sequence on who Harley is, and the breakup with Joker. So, she sets out to become her own self, burning down where she and Joker met, and going around looking to correct her grievances. But, that attracts the attention of other psychos (and the cops.) who want to take her down.

Eventually, she's captured by mafia boss Black Mask. If she can find him a diamond, she's free. Now, overall, this isn't a bad setup, and I cut this movie a lot of slack for being filmed during COVID-19. But, here's where things get messy. See, it's not just a Harley Quinn movie. They have to squeeze in the Birds of Prey.

Harley Quinn by herself is still cool to watch. What I didn't like was stopping the action in the middle to introduce another team member to the plot. It's not very cohesive, and the Birds of Prey don't really get together until the last 10 minutes. The final fight scene in the carnival, and the fight scene in the police station are the best parts.

The Suicide Squad (2021) is a better Harley Quinn team-up movie. Unlike this film, no one character felt wasted. Black Mask felt like just “Not-Joker” to me. Margot Robbie's good, as always. But, they should've taken more time to develop each unique character. You can skip this one unless you really like Harley Quinn.

THE SUICIDE SQUAD (2021):

THE SUICIDE SQUAD (2021):

"Supervillains Harley Quinn, Bloodsport, Peacemaker and a collection of nutty cons at Belle Reve prison join the super-secret, super-shady Task Force X as they are dropped off at the remote, enemy-infused island of Corto Maltese."

The Suicide Squad is a fun movie. I feel like what makes it work is the slapstick, and the characters. A team of DC supervillains is sent off to investigate alien technology on a hostile island nation. As the name implies, several team members die. But, most the deaths are played for laughs, and I won't give spoilers regarding who makes it out. There's no one character that feels underdeveloped. Even the goofier ones like Polka Dot Man.

Speaking of characters, Harley Quinn gets her own few moments in the sun here. Her character does great with the movie's action-slapstick tone. John Cena plays the hilariously unaware and superviolent Peacemaker. Idris Elba does most of the dramatic heavy-lifing as Bloodsport. Overall, I think the movie works because it's aware that it's a comic book movie.

Comics are kind of weird, and so is this flick. It's superviolent, funny, and yet it's never truly dark. It has a kind of heart in the way that the characters live and die. It's definitely not for the squeamish, but I say give it a watch if you like weird comics and action movies!