Birds of Prey

Based on a long running DC comic title (recently canceled after 15 years) this show had a such a short run (about 3 months) prior to its cancellation that it was only just beginning to gather a little industry buzz when it went off the air for good. I was curious to see the show, since I am a fan of the comic book, but the strong female characters and sharp writing of the book are not as evident here. Ron Koslow, one of the main writers of Beauty and Beast, executive produced the series and the show had some similar elements: a slick looking urban fantasy setting, an underground of 'freaks' (in this case 'metahumans') hidden from the eyes of normals, and slightly cartoonish villains, with every episode following a mystery-adventure formula as the main characters try to discover the identity of this week's creep, while taking time out every so often to agonize over their life choices. Somehow the formula works less well here. The mystery villains are often a little too obvious, the well-choreographed fight and stunt scenes get a little repetitive, and the progress of the character arcs is so terribly slow that little happens from week to week. Clearly the producers envisioned a 3 to 5 year run and worked to keep things in check early on, but the slow arc makes things a bit tedious. Plus the early cancellation meant that the series cut off in the middle of nowhere, which made the overall structure of the piece just that much worse. Still, the main actresses (Ashley Scott and Dina Meyer) are good and the whole production is attractive to look at, so it's an okay time-waster provided expectations are kept low. Buffy it's not, but it's not bad. Rates about 6.5/10...

I liked this show. It's too bad it didn't last very long. I liked the matrix-like action sequences, the dialog, the twists and turns that each episode took. It's a bummer that the last episode was such a cliffhanger (of course they usually are). It's true the meta-human thing was a bit unrealistic, but they had to play with things a little to make it so that it wasn't too much a copy of other Batman stories. I would have liked to see Dina's character more developed as she discovered her abilities. I would have liked to see Oracle get the use of her legs back if possible. It would have been neat to see if the Alfred character would develop further. Of course the Huntress character had a lot of development options. I wish they'd bring this show back. I don't care what all of the negative people might say, I liked it and miss it a lot. I wish somebody could do something to bring it back.

I was sorry to hear that this show was cancelled. I really felt this would be has good as Smallville. But I guess not. Despite silly dialogue. This show was great. It also had great female leads, especially the lovely Dina Meyer. The cartoon Batman Beyond started out good, but fell out of the top ten after two seasons. Note to the female leads in Birds of Prey. I'm sorry to hear about the show, and good luck on future projects.

I was called by a beautiful friend of mine who was frantically trying to tell me to switch the channels over to the new program BOP.

I am clearly in her debt. I loved the show.

I work in a video store and i am constantly reviewing movies and watching older ones. I am a huge fan of the comics and the movies as well.

The whole concept of Batman leaving and the daughter coming up the ranks. Bat Girl being the 'leader'. Its fantastic. The music, the graphics and the villains were great.

I don't understand why people come on to say that it was bad. I understand that the series didn't last very long but i believe the idea will be picked up again and enhanced even greater.

If there is a survey for people that enjoyed this movie and would pay to see it again...put me on it.

The show had a good start. Some comic book fans are groaning because they strayed from the comic book storyline. Most are glad to see that the series exists.

Dina Meyer gave a strong performance as Barbara Gordon. She was a believable leader of the crime fighting trio. The other characters still need to settle in their new roles a bit. Ashley Scott has a good start with her Huntress metahuman abilities. She had decent fight scenes. Dinah (Rachel Skarsten) will probably draw in younger viewers to the show.

Harley Quinn is a character that should be used like in the Batman cartoon, otherwise this is a waste of a character. Mia Sara's portrayal is too sinister so far. It left me asking when the Harley Quinn we know and love will pop up. Possibly, this might happen when she sees the Joker? (I wonder what Kevin Smith thinks....)

Kudos for using Mark Hamill as the voice of the Joker.

I like that Batman is hidden in the shadows, because it builds up mystery for the dark knight. This is not the "Batman" show. Its about characters that have a connection to Batman and Gotham City.

I'm hoping Birds of Prey gets a chance this season to build up its storyline. This WB show probably has the ability to knock UPN's Buffy out in the same timeslot. Its is fresh and probably has a following started already. (Its also filling the void leftover from the cancellation of Witchblade).

I will be tuning in next week....

For those who don't follow the comic books:

1. Barbara's reason for being in a wheelchair was shown almost like it was in the tradepaper back "The Killing Joke". The Joker was trying to drive her father, Commissioner Gordon, mad not Batman.

2. In the Birds of Prey comic, Huntress is Helena Bertinelli. Her family was gunned down by a rival mob organization. The Batman/Catwoman story was used to pull in viewers who were not familiar with the charaters. (Its possible that this was mentioned in an alternate comic book timeline). They've tamed down her outfit (like the Xmen movie) to make it less "comical" and more "real world".

3. Dinah Lance was the Black Canary, who is the third member. The Dinah Lance in the tv series is a bit young. This will probably be explained in a future episode.....

4. Don't expect to see much of Batman, he's not a main player in the comic book series. He's more of a guest star.

If you want to know the real deal, get "Black Canary/Oracle/Huntress: Birds of Prey" Book 1 if you still can.....