It’s difficult to imagine what the Lonely Planet’s guide to Gotham City would include as the best places to visit would be, particularly when you take into account its extraordinary high level of crime throughout.

And with the awful ratio of crime fighters to villains, which has to be something akin to one-to-loads at least, you would probably be wise booking a trip to anywhere but there, to be on the safe side.

This film perfectly illustrates, following the dainty footsteps of one Harleen Quinzel as it does, how Gotham City is truly worth avoiding.

Heartbreak can be such an awful experience. To love someone implicitly, regardless of their faults. And that’s exactly what Harley Quinn (Margot Robbie) did as far as her beau the Joker was concerned. Sure he could be difficult, with many taking his many mental health issues as psychopathic tendencies, but what super-villain isn’t a handful to live with?

But now it’s over, and Harley is now coming to terms with the fact that she’s on her own. Wisely she’s kept this news to herself, as being Joker’s other half has its benefits, like keeping her enemies at a safe distance. But when she’s at her lowest, she lets slip that they are no longer an item, and word quickly spreads to all those she’s done wrong, who are keen to get revenge.

Instead of keeping her head down, or even better, waving to Gotham in her rear view mirror, Harley gets into a spot of bother at a bar, by disabling the owner’s driver. It just so happens that said owner is one Roman Sionis (Ewan McGregor), AKA Black Mask, who, as you would imagine from a super-villain, doesn’t take kindly to Harley’s actions.

In an attempt to save her own skin, she offers her services to Sionis, as he is desperate to get hold of an exceptional diamond that has gone astray. Harley says she can get it back, if not, his goons can finish her off once and for all.

But just like her previous romance, the task at hand turns out to be far more complicated, and it’s highly likely that she’s going to need some help along the way to get the job done.

Considering the pressure Warner Bros. Must be up against, simply trying to compete with the mightyness of Disney and their super Marvels, you would think they would focus heavily on getting every DC film right. Choosing a relative unknown director, with only one Chinese language feature film under her belt, seems to compete with the madness of a certain Joker. But that’s exactly what they did here, by hiring Chinese-born American Cathy Yan.

To her credit however, she doe’s an impressive job in terms of presentation. It’s a little gimmicky in places, particularly with the rather over choreographed fight sequences, but it has a pleasing comic-book sheen to it.

She also gets an appealing performance out of Robbie, who gets to reprise her Suicide Squad role and flesh out the quirkiness of Harley Quinn. Robbie once again shines as the heart-broken protagonist, soaking up all the on-screen attention like a naughty sponge. And that’s part of the problem. The film hints at an origin tale for the all-female, crime-fighting team of the Birds of Prey, which it sort of is, but really isn’t.

All of the attention goes on Harley Quinn. The contribution of the members of the Birds of Prey almost feels like cameos, as they are used purely to support the efforts of the film’s maniacal heroine.

Even by the film’s finale, Yan gives the impression that the Birds of Prey aren’t going to go it alone and have their own adventure, which is just as well as even combining all of their talents, you’d still rather watch Harley Quinn on her tod.

Robbie proves here that Harley Quinn can easily hold her own amongst other heroes and villains, even if this script doesn’t quite manage the same. It’s slightly overlong and bangs its head once or twice down some dead ends, with Quinn managing to dig it out of any serious holes – just.

It must have been tempting to get a certain Bruce Wayne involved in some fashion, as both he and Commissioner Gordon are conspicuous by their absence. How the hell they can allow all this nonsense to take place on their home soil is anyone’s guess.

How much impetus is gained towards the DCEU generally from this entry is unclear, particularly with the absence of any household names from the series, leaving Harley Quinn to do most of the heavy-lifting on her own. But as a one off spin-off, the ever watchable Robbie as Harley Quinn, giving a strong solo performance as she does, delivers a rowdy and entertaining show.