DVD Review: Birds of Prey

R.D. Heldenfels - Akron Beacon Journal

Jul 18, 2008

With all the excitement around "The Dark Knight," Warner Home Video seems eager to exploit any possible DVD tie-in to the film.

This is actually good news for fans of "Birds of Prey," the short-lived series on the old WB network, since it will at last be released on DVD this week (13 episodes, four discs, $29.95).

Inspired by several comic-book characters, "Birds of Prey," which aired in 2002-03, focused on three women: Helena Kyle (Ashley Scott), the daughter of Batman and Catwoman, known as the Huntress; Barbara Gordon (Dina Meyer), the former Catwoman, now called the Oracle; and Dinah Redmond (Rachel Skarsten), whose crime-fighting future was uncertain as the series began. Also involved with them was police Detective Jesse Reese (Shemar Moore).

The show had a good look, plenty of comic-style atmosphere and a few decent stories. But it's apparent, when you look at the unaired version of the series pilot (included as a DVD extra) and the pilot as televised, that "Birds of Prey" was intended as more thoughtful than the network wanted; the revised pilot has a dumbed-down quality.

And even then, I would have been interested in seeing more than these 13.

Also offered as a DVD extra: animated segments of an online "Gotham Girls" series.

----

More movie reviews

Shop for DVDs in the Military.com Entertainment Store

Sound Off...What do you think? Join the discussion