NZ Herald
  • Home
  • Latest news
  • Herald NOW
  • Video
  • New Zealand
  • Sport
  • World
  • Business
  • Entertainment
  • Podcasts
  • Quizzes
  • Opinion
  • Lifestyle
  • Travel
  • Viva
  • Weather

Subscriptions

  • Herald Premium
  • Viva Premium
  • The Listener
  • BusinessDesk

Sections

  • Latest news
  • New Zealand
    • All New Zealand
    • Crime
    • Politics
    • Education
    • Open Justice
    • Scam Update
  • Herald NOW
  • On The Up
  • World
    • All World
    • Australia
    • Asia
    • UK
    • United States
    • Middle East
    • Europe
    • Pacific
  • Business
    • All Business
    • MarketsSharesCurrencyCommoditiesStock TakesCrypto
    • Markets with Madison
    • Media Insider
    • Business analysis
    • Personal financeKiwiSaverInterest ratesTaxInvestment
    • EconomyInflationGDPOfficial cash rateEmployment
    • Small business
    • Business reportsMood of the BoardroomProject AucklandSustainable business and financeCapital markets reportAgribusiness reportInfrastructure reportDynamic business
    • Deloitte Top 200 Awards
    • CompaniesAged CareAgribusinessAirlinesBanking and financeConstructionEnergyFreight and logisticsHealthcareManufacturingMedia and MarketingRetailTelecommunicationsTourism
  • Opinion
    • All Opinion
    • Analysis
    • Editorials
    • Business analysis
    • Premium opinion
    • Letters to the editor
  • Politics
  • Sport
    • All Sport
    • OlympicsParalympics
    • RugbySuper RugbyNPCAll BlacksBlack FernsRugby sevensSchool rugby
    • CricketBlack CapsWhite Ferns
    • Racing
    • NetballSilver Ferns
    • LeagueWarriorsNRL
    • FootballWellington PhoenixAuckland FCAll WhitesFootball FernsEnglish Premier League
    • GolfNZ Open
    • MotorsportFormula 1
    • Boxing
    • UFC
    • BasketballNBABreakersTall BlacksTall Ferns
    • Tennis
    • Cycling
    • Athletics
    • SailingAmerica's CupSailGP
    • Rowing
  • Lifestyle
    • All Lifestyle
    • Viva - Food, fashion & beauty
    • Society Insider
    • Royals
    • Sex & relationships
    • Food & drinkRecipesRecipe collectionsRestaurant reviewsRestaurant bookings
    • Health & wellbeing
    • Fashion & beauty
    • Pets & animals
    • The Selection - Shop the trendsShop fashionShop beautyShop entertainmentShop giftsShop home & living
    • Milford's Investing Place
  • Entertainment
    • All Entertainment
    • TV
    • MoviesMovie reviews
    • MusicMusic reviews
    • BooksBook reviews
    • Culture
    • ReviewsBook reviewsMovie reviewsMusic reviewsRestaurant reviews
  • Travel
    • All Travel
    • News
    • New ZealandNorthlandAucklandWellingtonCanterburyOtago / QueenstownNelson-TasmanBest NZ beaches
    • International travelAustraliaPacific IslandsEuropeUKUSAAfricaAsia
    • Rail holidays
    • Cruise holidays
    • Ski holidays
    • Luxury travel
    • Adventure travel
  • Kāhu Māori news
  • Environment
    • All Environment
    • Our Green Future
  • Talanoa Pacific news
  • Property
    • All Property
    • Property Insider
    • Interest rates tracker
    • Residential property listings
    • Commercial property listings
  • Health
  • Technology
    • All Technology
    • AI
    • Social media
  • Rural
    • All Rural
    • Dairy farming
    • Sheep & beef farming
    • Horticulture
    • Animal health
    • Rural business
    • Rural life
    • Rural technology
    • Opinion
    • Audio & podcasts
  • Weather forecasts
    • All Weather forecasts
    • Kaitaia
    • Whangārei
    • Dargaville
    • Auckland
    • Thames
    • Tauranga
    • Hamilton
    • Whakatāne
    • Rotorua
    • Tokoroa
    • Te Kuiti
    • Taumaranui
    • Taupō
    • Gisborne
    • New Plymouth
    • Napier
    • Hastings
    • Dannevirke
    • Whanganui
    • Palmerston North
    • Levin
    • Paraparaumu
    • Masterton
    • Wellington
    • Motueka
    • Nelson
    • Blenheim
    • Westport
    • Reefton
    • Kaikōura
    • Greymouth
    • Hokitika
    • Christchurch
    • Ashburton
    • Timaru
    • Wānaka
    • Oamaru
    • Queenstown
    • Dunedin
    • Gore
    • Invercargill
  • Meet the journalists
  • Promotions & competitions
  • OneRoof property listings
  • Driven car news

Puzzles & Quizzes

  • Puzzles
    • All Puzzles
    • Sudoku
    • Code Cracker
    • Crosswords
    • Cryptic crossword
    • Wordsearch
  • Quizzes
    • All Quizzes
    • Morning quiz
    • Afternoon quiz
    • Sports quiz

Regions

  • Northland
    • All Northland
    • Far North
    • Kaitaia
    • Kerikeri
    • Kaikohe
    • Bay of Islands
    • Whangarei
    • Dargaville
    • Kaipara
    • Mangawhai
  • Auckland
  • Waikato
    • All Waikato
    • Hamilton
    • Coromandel & Hauraki
    • Matamata & Piako
    • Cambridge
    • Te Awamutu
    • Tokoroa & South Waikato
    • Taupō & Tūrangi
  • Bay of Plenty
    • All Bay of Plenty
    • Katikati
    • Tauranga
    • Mount Maunganui
    • Pāpāmoa
    • Te Puke
    • Whakatāne
  • Rotorua
  • Hawke's Bay
    • All Hawke's Bay
    • Napier
    • Hastings
    • Havelock North
    • Central Hawke's Bay
    • Wairoa
  • Taranaki
    • All Taranaki
    • Stratford
    • New Plymouth
    • Hāwera
  • Manawatū - Whanganui
    • All Manawatū - Whanganui
    • Whanganui
    • Palmerston North
    • Manawatū
    • Tararua
    • Horowhenua
  • Wellington
    • All Wellington
    • Kapiti
    • Wairarapa
    • Upper Hutt
    • Lower Hutt
  • Nelson & Tasman
    • All Nelson & Tasman
    • Motueka
    • Nelson
    • Tasman
  • Marlborough
  • West Coast
  • Canterbury
    • All Canterbury
    • Kaikōura
    • Christchurch
    • Ashburton
    • Timaru
  • Otago
    • All Otago
    • Oamaru
    • Dunedin
    • Balclutha
    • Alexandra
    • Queenstown
    • Wanaka
  • Southland
    • All Southland
    • Invercargill
    • Gore
    • Stewart Island
  • Gisborne

Media

  • Video
    • All Video
    • NZ news video
    • Herald NOW
    • Business news video
    • Politics news video
    • Sport video
    • World news video
    • Lifestyle video
    • Entertainment video
    • Travel video
    • Markets with Madison
    • Kea Kids news
  • Podcasts
    • All Podcasts
    • The Front Page
    • On the Tiles
    • Ask me Anything
    • The Little Things
  • Cartoons
  • Photo galleries
  • Today's Paper - E-editions
  • Photo sales
  • Classifieds

NZME Network

  • Advertise with NZME
  • OneRoof
  • Driven Car Guide
  • BusinessDesk
  • Newstalk ZB
  • Sunlive
  • ZM
  • The Hits
  • Coast
  • Radio Hauraki
  • The Alternative Commentary Collective
  • Gold
  • Flava
  • iHeart Radio
  • Hokonui
  • Radio Wanaka
  • iHeartCountry New Zealand
  • Restaurant Hub
  • NZME Events

SubscribeSign In
Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.
Home / Entertainment

Film review: Emma and Birds of Prey and the Fantabulous Emancipation of One Harley Quinn

By Tom Augustine
Canvas·
14 Feb, 2020 06:00 PM3 mins to read

Subscribe to listen

Access to Herald Premium articles require a Premium subscription. Subscribe now to listen.
Already a subscriber?  Sign in here

Listening to articles is free for open-access content—explore other articles or learn more about text-to-speech.
‌
Save

    Share this article

    Reminder, this is a Premium article and requires a subscription to read.

Anya Taylor-Joy in Emma.

Anya Taylor-Joy in Emma.

Tom Augustine wraps up the weekend in film

The transition from writing success in other disciplines to success in writing screenplays isn't always the easiest path to tread but New Zealand's own Eleanor Catton does so with poise in her adaptation of Jane Austen's classic, Emma. (dir. Autumn de Wilde, PG). This adaptation of the story stars the wonderful Anya Taylor-Joy as the titular matchmaker of various denizens of the small Regency-era British town where she lives. Austen is an author tricky to translate to the screen, as the ultimately somewhat trifling troubles of her characters must be made to feel of astronomical importance to the viewer to be enjoyed at all. Luckily, Catton's patient, faithful script achieves this, particularly in later stages of the story following a slightly sluggish first act. She's aided by confident direction from de Wilde, making her feature debut here and a delicious ensemble of performers. One of the brightest young actors in the game today, Taylor-Joy imbues the famously difficult heroine with a sense of real humanity, flair and wit to rival Alicia Silverstone's iconic turn as a modern-day Emma in Clueless. Elsewhere, Miranda Hart impresses as a local busybody and Bill Nighy is predictably impish and charming as Emma's father. It's an incredibly faithful adaptation - including in dialogue, which remains commendably close to the language of the period with nary an anachronism to be found. While the film is hardly challenging in this respect - there's not a lot in the way of modern-day resonance, and there's little effort to subvert or provide different perspectives on the original story - when watching Emma is such a delectably enjoyable treat it's difficult to complain.
Rating: Three-and-a-half stars.

Margot Robbie takes centre stage in Harley Quinn: Birds of Prey.
Margot Robbie takes centre stage in Harley Quinn: Birds of Prey.

I'll confess to having finally succumbed to superhero fatigue. Following Avengers: Endgame, an appropriately operatic climax to an era of blockbuster film-making, it's feeling as though this kind of story has increasingly less to offer cinema even as it continues to swallow the film industry whole. With that caveat in mind, it was with great pleasure that I discovered Birds of Prey (and the Fantabulous Emancipation of One Harley Quinn) (dir. Cathy Yan, R16) to be arguably the best, most surprising film of this genre since at least Black Panther. The film is now going by Harley Quinn: Birds of Prey. This spinoff, focusing on Margot Robbie's breakout starring turn as Quinn in Suicide Squad, picks up with the character after she breaks up with the Joker and is sent on a self-destructive spiral into the nasty underworld of Gotham. What follows is a gleefully ruthless, visually bombastic treat, utilizing Robbie's chameleonic talents alongside a pleasingly game cast to create something really quite spectacular. It's all down to director Yan, who brings a strong directorial flair, something sorely missing in superhero films of today. Her colourful, frenetic style brings the material to life in a way that is deliriously fun. A breath of fresh air in a genre in great need of it.
Rating: Four-and-a-half stars.

Discover more

Opinion

Miranda Harcourt on daughter Thomasin and teaching the stars

10 Feb 04:00 PM
Entertainment

Elijah Wood gets gory in Kiwi thriller comedy Come to Daddy

12 Feb 06:00 AM
Entertainment

Rose McGowan slams Natalie Portman over Oscars protest

12 Feb 06:42 PM
Entertainment

Taika Waititi still celebrating after 'surreal' Oscars win

12 Feb 10:17 PM
Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.
Save

    Share this article

    Reminder, this is a Premium article and requires a subscription to read.

Latest from Entertainment

Entertainment

'Hate him': Paul Simon's daughter chastises Richard Gere, hopes her dead pets will haunt him

10 Jul 02:09 AM
Entertainment

Stay or leave? The most surprising Mafs couple switch-ups of 2025

10 Jul 02:00 AM
Entertainment

Horner's future with Halliwell unclear after Red Bull dismissal

10 Jul 12:37 AM

Get your kids involved in your reno

sponsored
Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.

Latest from Entertainment

'Hate him': Paul Simon's daughter chastises Richard Gere, hopes her dead pets will haunt him

'Hate him': Paul Simon's daughter chastises Richard Gere, hopes her dead pets will haunt him

10 Jul 02:09 AM

Lulu Simon says Richard Gere will demolish her childhood home after promising not to.

Stay or leave? The most surprising Mafs couple switch-ups of 2025

Stay or leave? The most surprising Mafs couple switch-ups of 2025

10 Jul 02:00 AM
Horner's future with Halliwell unclear after Red Bull dismissal

Horner's future with Halliwell unclear after Red Bull dismissal

10 Jul 12:37 AM
Orlando Bloom and Katy Perry reunite for family photos amid split

Orlando Bloom and Katy Perry reunite for family photos amid split

09 Jul 10:03 PM
Sponsored: Why heat pumps make winter cheaper
sponsored

Sponsored: Why heat pumps make winter cheaper

NZ Herald
  • About NZ Herald
  • Meet the journalists
  • Newsletters
  • Classifieds
  • Help & support
  • Contact us
  • House rules
  • Privacy Policy
  • Terms of use
  • Competition terms & conditions
  • Our use of AI
Subscriber Services
  • NZ Herald e-editions
  • Daily puzzles & quizzes
  • Manage your digital subscription
  • Manage your print subscription
  • Subscribe to the NZ Herald newspaper
  • Subscribe to Herald Premium
  • Gift a subscription
  • Subscriber FAQs
  • Subscription terms & conditions
  • Promotions and subscriber benefits
NZME Network
  • The New Zealand Herald
  • The Northland Age
  • The Northern Advocate
  • Waikato Herald
  • Bay of Plenty Times
  • Rotorua Daily Post
  • Hawke's Bay Today
  • Whanganui Chronicle
  • Viva
  • NZ Listener
  • Newstalk ZB
  • BusinessDesk
  • OneRoof
  • Driven Car Guide
  • iHeart Radio
  • Restaurant Hub
NZME
  • About NZME
  • NZME careers
  • Advertise with NZME
  • Digital self-service advertising
  • Book your classified ad
  • Photo sales
  • NZME Events
  • © Copyright 2025 NZME Publishing Limited
TOP