Birds of Prey

Hi there.

I'll admit, I watched Birds of Prey, since I like to give a comic book show a chance before writing it off. I did the same thing last year with the Smallville pilot, which didn't really impress me.

But this was fantastic! The guys that did this show, did an excellent job. It was like watching a spin-off of the Batman films. You know, the good ones. The passing glimpses of Batman were well done, Ian Abercrombie was a great Alfred, and the brief shots of Catwoman and Joker (voiced by Mark Hamill, how cool is that!?!) were all really well done. They used the movie Catwoman costume! Amazing!

I loved Dina Meyer as Batgirl/Oracle. She did a great job bringing Barbara to life, and I hope we get to see more of her in that kickass Batgril costume.

Huntress was great. I'll admit, when I saw Huntress in previews I was expecting to hate her, but she was really, really likeable. And her fight scenes were incredible.

Dinah LANCE (yes Lance, contrary to reports) was nice. She brought a good outsiders feel, and I can't wait to meet her mother, the Black Canary!

The shots through the city were great as well. The closing one with Oracle and Huntress on the rooftop, and the bat flying by the moon was so cool.

Bringing in Harleen Quinzel was a great idea and I can't wait to see where they go with this.

The rest of the cast was great, even that pretty boy, Shemar Moore.

I cannot heap enough praise on the pilot episode of Birds of Prey. They've done a great job. This is definitely on par with the animated series. It's not perfect, but it's a heck of a lot fun.

Thanks and have a good day then.

John Cage

Birds of Prey is set years after Batman's final victory against The Joker; a battle with a terrible price. Catwoman was killed, and Batgirl (Dina Meyer) was confined to a wheelchair for life. Batman disappears...apparently, too stricken with grief to continue. In his absence, Barbara Gordon (Batgirl) becomes "The Oracle," acting as the eyes and ears of her protégée, The Huntress (Ashley Scott). The Huntress has a personal vendetta against the criminals of Gotham; she's Catwoman and Batman's daughter. So continues the Bat-legacy.

Enter `bird' #3: Dinah Lance (Rachel Skarsten), a young psychic who arrives to Gotham to explain the strange dreams she's been having. Of course, comic book buffs will know that Dinah Lance is the name of The Black Canary, thereby completing the "Birds of Prey" trio. However, for now, she's just a young novice, learning to be a super-heroine as the series progresses...

While comic-purists whine about comic-book inconsistencies, there is a lot to love about this "alternate" Bat-city. For one, their arch-nemesis is Harley Quinn (Mia Sara), who was once The Joker's main squeeze. The premiere also had the fun of Mark Hammil as the voice of the Joker, which he performs as brilliantly as he did in the cartoons. Best of all, though, is how The Huntress' eyes turn into feline slits before a fight; it may not be like The Huntress of comic lore, though who cares? It's a cool shot, plain and simple.

Regardless, some comic purists insist there is no way Catwoman and Batman had a child. What's the alternative, kiddies? That the rumors about Batman preferring the company of young boys are true.? Of course he and Selena Kyle were more than `just friends,' as we've seen in movies, TV, the comics, and even the cartoons. So yeah one thing led to another and Huntress was born. It could happen. Accept it.

Of course, you can never tell what series will be accepted by younger audiences. Back in the 1970's, "The Six Million Dollar Man" lasted four seasons, while "Bionic Woman" lasted only two; go figure. In today's pop culture, will a young Superman in "Smallville" be considered cooler than Batman's daughter in "Birds of Prey"? If so, that's a shame. There is a lot to like about this series. I look forward to seeing Birds of Prey as long as it lasts. I hope that's a long while.

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 think it's fantastic to have the original Huntress back! This is great!! I've missed her. As for Batman being missing? Not the first time. Batman's been known to just vanish from time to time (usually leaving Robin in charge). Why the Clocktower? What was wrong with putting Barbara in the Wayne Foundation Penthouse/Batcave?? And with such a young Black Canary... can we assume Ollie's still shipwrecked on a island with pirates???

As for Batman and Catwoman having a daughter -- it began in The Flash #123 (1961), with the Golden-Age Bat-Man and Catwoman getting married in Brave and the Bold #197 (1983), and Helena Wayne becoming the Huntress in All-Star Comics #69 (1977). A more revised Catwoman history states that Selina gave up a life of crime to become a professional adventurer, and thus began dating Bruce Wayne.

The most important thing here to remember is the comics have their version and the film productions have theirs (back to the parallel universe). No one version is right or wrong. It just is. With the film production team's primary job being to draw in and hook that audience that wouldn't be caught dead reading a comic book.

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.