What they said how birds of Prey is bad

[*SuperNova*]

Hey, this is really bother me how that article is really cruel how they think birds of prey is expected to be failed. Not to us as viewers. We have to watch that show and see it is good or whatever. it's not up to something stupid phony thing.



'Birds of Prey' TV show falls prey to bad writing
-- Saturday September 7th, 2002

This article was written by Michael Sangiacomo who has been kind enough to let the article remain despite it being posted previously without his express permission (Our apologies).

You know how some television shows are so good that you love everything about them? The acting, the writing, the music, the pacing - everything just seamlessly comes together. And best of all, it looks easy.

"Birds of Prey" ain't like that.

The 70-minute season premiere that airs at 9 p.m. Oct. 9 on the WB (WBNX Channel 55 in Northeast Ohio) is more "Dark Angel" than "Dark Knight" - all sexy women in leather tights and little else.

More important, the writing does not measure up to what comics lovers have come to expect in their television.

That's right: We've been spoiled by all the smart writing in "Smallville."

"Birds of Prey" limps along with smirks and sexy poses, but there's not a lot beyond the veneer. And that's not good enough.

Word is that Warner Bros. knows that the premiere has problems and is retooling. Good move; hope it helps.

The show has a good concept: The Huntress, the secret daughter of Batman and Catwoman, and a young runaway named Dinah (aka The Black Canary) team with the wheelchair-using Oracle, the daughter of Police Commissioner James Gordon, who was wounded by The Joker while she was Batgirl.

They fight crime in New Gotham, attempting to fill in for Batman, who has not been seen since The Joker killed Catwoman.

The premise is good, but the execution fails.

Batman is a shadowy figure who only appears briefly in a flashback, which is the perfect way to handle him. The loyal butler, Alfred, is on hand. There has been no mention of other Batman partners, such as Robin or Nightwing - just Batgirl.

The full article can be found here :
http://www.cleveland.com/entertainment/plaindealer/index.ssf?/xml/story.ssf/html_standard.xsl?/base/entertainment/1031391159130810.xml

Special thanks to : Michael Sangiacomo (Tipped by Jasen)

[The Joker]

Isn't this article somewhat vague as to which version of Birds of Prey it's even talking about (the early pilot or the re-shot one)?

Aside from that, I don't see how it's unnecessarily cruel--its an opinion piece, not even a review, and thus somewhat suspect anyway. This is someone who read a comic book once and wants to spout off (the mention of a local Ohio TV station makes me think its a low-paid wage slave at a local newspaper too) .

Then again, if this is from someone who saw the early pilot, (despite the fact that the writer refers to it as the "premiere"), then of course its a bit unfair.

And the writer doesn't gain major point with me by bemoaning the fact that this isn't "Smallville." The moment "Smallville" became about which freak of the week showed up, the wheels were off, and the wish that BoP could be as good a bit less flattering. And attacking it as being like "Dark Angel" doesn't work either, because that show was frequently good--except when it too fell into "freak of the week".

The implication that Ashley Scott can't act, and that the main creative force is the person behind the dreadful "Tomb Raider" is much more worrysome that anything else in that piece.

[Helena Kyle]

Originally posted by The Joker
Isn't this article somewhat vague as to which version of Birds of Prey it's even talking about (the early pilot or the re-shot one)?


I believe its in reference to the original unaired Pilot, simply because it wasn't that long ago that it was being reshot so I doubt many people have see the completed episode yet.

I am aware that not everyone is a big fan of the show after seeing the unaired pilot, but I have spoken to a lot more people who have enjoyed watching it than people who didn't, so I am going by what they are saying over these guys and hoping it will be great.

As for the Ashley complaint, she only does what she's asked to. If she is told to be whiny all the time then she is gonna go ahead and be that.

I guess I just wish people would wait until they see the finished product before they go and write it off.

[Intangible]

Originally posted by Helena Kyle
I guess I just wish people would wait until they see the finished product before they go and write it off.

That's perhaps one of the biggest challenges the show has to conquer fan loyalty and expectations. It comes with the territory, especially if it's source medium was prominent and popular with a rather large fanbase.

[Jesse Reese]

Everyone is intitled to their opinions. Just because someone doesn't like something, does not mean they are a bad person. It's their opinion, and they have a right to express it. After all, everyone has a right to free speech. ;)

The thing that bothers me though, is that people judge before they actually get to know something. I would feel better if this article was written after the Pilot aired, not before it. ;)

[Helena Kyle]

Originally posted by Jesse Reese
The thing that bothers me though, is that people judge before they actually get to know something. I would feel better if this article was written after the Pilot aired, not before it. ;)

That is exactly right. I guess in order to be in the right as well we need not to try and force onto people that the show is good because we haven't seen it, and just as someone who hasn't seen it can make bad comments that aren't necessarily true, it works the other way around.

I am not saying that this is gonna be the best show on television, I can't make that promise and I haven't seen a single episode, even the unaired Pilot. I can however encourage people to give it a chance, just like we are in creating this site. We could end up hating the show, I doubt it very much, but there is always the possibility of that happening. The show looks great from the promotional, pre-premiere side of things, and I am confident that it will live up to my expectations, maybe even exceed them.

I look forward to reading peoples reactions to the show after the pilot, and the first few episodes. :)

[Oblivion]

Exactly!! How can you knock something you've never seen? I personally think I will love the show. I really enjoyed the unaired pilot episode, so I'm sure I'll like the premeire that much more. I'm just going to put all the negitivity out of my mind and wait to see what I really think.

[Watcher]

I have seen the unaired pilot and I loved just it. I am just jumping up and down inside to see what the final pilot will be like. As mentioned before, free speech, but I do wish people would wait. We do have a few media sources, like Wanda from E! Online for example, who has been down on the series from the beginning, because of the "unaired" pilot. Anyways, give it a chance, but I am sure if your here to begin with, you plan on watching anyways ;)

I think I may just go watch the pilot now.

[GRACE]

We all have to decide for ourselves what we like...but one can make a more informed and educated decision once you've have at least seen the show.
I've heard a lot of talk about that unaired pilot. I would love to see it. How can I go about getting it? Or is that not an option...:eek:

[Utter Darkness]

Originally posted by GRACE
We all have to decide for ourselves what we like...but one can make a more informed and educated decision once you've have at least seen the show.
I've heard a lot of talk about that unaired pilot. I would love to see it. How can I go about getting it? Or is that not an option...:eek:

Ahh Im so glad I got to pop in right here.

Go to http://www.iMesh.com and download its software (spyware free and anti-virus software comes with it too). After you've downloaded it, search for Birds of Prey. I've downlaoded the unaired pilot myself.

As for my thoughts on it; I think that on the unaired pilot, the acting really could have been more 3 dimensional.
They kind of didnt take the "superhero" concept with enough seriousness amongst the plot.
Don't get me wrong, I have full faith that they'll fix it up nicely in the final pilot. If they didnt than you could just say they might as well have dumped most of the work on the special effects than the directing to fit the look and feel of the show, but I dont think it'll turn out to be that way after they've gone into the plots deeper in the future episodes.

To sum it up, this is how I rate the unaired pilot:
- Special Effects: Awesome!
- Use of Special Effects: Overdone at times, not done enough at others.
- Plot: Very Intersting!
- Acting: Unfitting to the show's supossed dark mood
- Atmosphere: Nicely Satisfying

It's worth watching to get a good idea for the show to me. But its not anywhere as satifying to me to watch as its trailer.

[GRACE]

Thanks for the info....I'll do that now. I also appreciate your INFORMED opinion of the unaired pilot.;)

I'll let you know what I think of it.

PEACE

[Dark Eagle]

THE SHOW STARTS TONIGHT! OH GOD ONLY A FEW MORE HOURS!