I enjoyed "Catwoman" with Halle Berry. Make no mistake, Catwoman was NOT a great movie. It was a bit below average honestly, combined with the devotion to the subject matter that comics fans have (which isn't much, but it's still there), this movie is GUARANTEED to have a horrid reputation around here...
Regardless, there were three things that I liked about Catwoman:
1) Halle Berry's body... pretty simple... it's fun to watch...
2) Capoeria... great fighting style put to great use in the film...
3) CGI climbing/jumping/running... yes they looked fake, but I still enjoyed it... the same way I enjoy cartoons --shrug--
Now while there is a laundry list of things I did NOT like about Catwoman, they did not detract from the things I did like...
Cliches -- the gay friend, the fat friend (superb comedienne), the police love interest who doesn't know... all of these of course have non cliched potential, but, honestly, it wasn't used... her supporting cast was pretty straightforward. Catwoman vs Ben Bratt should have been played up more.
Villains -- This was painful. They had a plot twist, but they gave it away WAY too early, it should have been saved for the climax, not the beginning of the third act. The villain herself, while again, a superb actress, was NOT even close to intimidating. Dear gosh... what can rubbergirl do to CATWOMAN, I mean... normal Catwoman, much less Super-Catwoman that Patience was... it's crazy. I mean, please, borrow a third rate Batman villain... the plot would have BEEN AWESOME for Clayface or Killer Croc both of whom would have been credible villains in a battle... I mean, even Charaxes or Firefly would have been welcome additions to this limp villany. Even Cat-Man could have at least highlighted the fight-the-male-dominance theory. This was, by far the biggest flaw in the film.
Plot -- Toxic Makeup. That gives powers. To be honest, I can't think of another episode of BTAS that's better fitted to be adapted to Catwoman (assuming of course, that we can't use Batman becuz of the Begins monster)... but can we at least give it as strong a finish? A villain we can related to... a tragedy we can feel... a power level that's worth watching a fight between? They should've kept Clayface in this plot, and left Sharon Stone as a powerless mastermind (who is only revealed to be the power behind the suddenly dead powerless mastermind at the end). That would have been much more compelling. There are better plots to be had (say one involving... cat burglary?), but small changes could've made it MUCH better.
Purring -- Eartha Kitt did it right... Michelle Pfeiffer did it right... Halle did not... whoever was directing kept the wrong takes...
Moral -- "Freedom IS Power." Ouch. Put that down next to: "Do you know what happens when a toad is struck by lightning?" It's like... Whaaa? Is this what I am to go and apply to my life? Are you serious? Women should be free to do whatever the heck they want, damn the consequences? This is your female empowerment? Madness... madness...
In short, too much inspiration for this movie was drawn from the 60s TV show (black Catwoman) and the cartoons (RenewU is addictive and gives us powers!) and not enough inspiration was taken from the comics (compelling characters, big fights, Batman Universe).
Things I'm indifferent to (some people hate them, but I honestly don't care... nor should I):
Patience Pierce Character. I read Batman comics, not Catwoman comics... Selina Kyle's cool, but without Bruce Wayne, I have zero interest in her.
Costume. Catwoman's costume changes pretty regularly. It had ears and a whip. No complaints from me.
All in all... a descent flick. Had shining parts, had surprises... had rough parts... don't buy the DVD, but it was definitely sit-through-able. Not the best, not the worst... just a weak, laughably corny and somewhat enjoyable movie.
