Birds of Prey is the first good female superhero movie

It takes more than a woman's name in the title for a film to be feminist

A movie like Birds of Prey is no longer a novelty. Female-fronted action films have been par for the course for years now, with more on the way: Wonder Woman 1984, Black Widow, even a lady James Bond movie. Finding a way to market each installment as a historic "first" has, consequently, meant getting creative: Birds of Prey, for example, is described as "[DC's] first live-action — and R-rated — female-driven team-up title."

But even if it's safe to say that female superheroes have arrived, it's been a clumsy landing. Both DC and Marvel have fallen into the trap of presuming that a movie is feminist just by virtue of having a woman superhero's name in the title, failing to put in the work that takes a movie beyond mere pandering. Studios shouldn't get brownie points just because they're finally realizing that women can be comic book fans, too. That's why Birds of Prey, out Friday, is different than the rest of the crop: Unlike the movies that paved its way, it doesn't pander or condescend. It simply performs.

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Jeva Lange

Jeva Lange was the executive editor at TheWeek.com. She formerly served as The Week's deputy editor and culture critic. She is also a contributor to Screen Slate, and her writing has appeared in The New York Daily News, The Awl, Vice, and Gothamist, among other publications. Jeva lives in New York City. Follow her on Twitter.