Catwoman (2004)
Directed by: Pitof
Premise: The DC Comics character from the Batman franchise is given her own spin off. In this film she is a full-fledged crime fighter, not a burglar as in her origins. Also, the film is moved out of Gotham City and as a result the story bears little resemblance to the comics that Catwoman was based upon.
What Works: The first half hour is rather fun. Patience Prince (Halle Berry) is a unique character in Berry’s repertoire and I would not have minded sitting through a film that was just about her life without the intrusion of the Catwoman persona.
What Doesn’t: After Prince’s transformation, the film switches gears and alternates between being a music video and strip tease. Sharon Stone plays perhaps the most uninteresting villain in comic book adaptation history and perpetuates a dull drum murder mystery that is predictable from the start. The film’s script seems like it was written from the point of view of a feminist but then was shot by someone who did not grasp that at all and objectifies Berry throughout the picture, defeating any female independence issues. That is not to say a woman cannot be simultaneously sexual and independent, but to say that that the way the story is told through the camera work betrays the script’s feminist message and it falls into the same trap as Charlie’s Angles: Full Throttle.
Bottom Line: It is too bad someone of Berry’s talents had to be involved in this. If you are interested in seeing a psychologically interesting Catwoman, I recommend renting Batman Returns.
Episode: #11 (July 25, 2004)