Customer Reviews

Catwoman

5 star:		(101)
4 star:		(75)
3 star:		(67)
2 star:		(46)
1 star:		(104)

 

 

...and I loved every minute of it.

I went into this movie as a not expecting much - but hoping to be entertained and I was. The movie was bright, colorful and camp as Christmas.

Like the other reviewers said - it has nothing to do with the comic lore - but if you can get past that and want to see a cheesy super "hero" movie - then go for it.

I had a good time and sometimes that's all you want from a movie.

I admire the approach the filmmakers have taken towards "Catwoman," for rather than setting their tale in the same dark, cavernous, largely computer-generated metropolis we are used to in most of these superhero movies, they have chosen to keep it rooted more in the real world. In a similar way, they manage to keep Catwoman herself believable, vulnerable and realistic, thanks in no small part to the beautiful and beguiling Halle Berry in the title role.

Berry plays Patience Phillips, a pretty, but less-than-glamorous advertising artist who works for a major cosmetics company, ruled over by a tyrannical CEO and his equally ruthless wife, the former spokes model for their products. When Patience mistakenly overhears the corporate bigwigs discussing the fact that one of their best-selling creams is causing women to become seriously ill, she is dutifully murdered by a couple of the boss' henchmen. However, all is not lost for Patience, for, unbeknownst to her, she has been chosen to receive the special gift of reincarnation in the form of a cat woman who will no longer be subject to the laws of either nature or society.

The best parts of "Catwoman" involve Patience's incrementally becoming more and more catlike in her attitude and demeanor, and her slowly dawning realization of what is happening to her. It takes awhile for her to accept this surprising turn of events, but, when she does, she becomes, quite literally, a new woman, bold, self-confident and willing to take on the oppressors and evildoers in our society. Patience is paired up with an attractive police officer (apparently the only one ever on duty in that city), who gradually comes to realize who and what she is as well. Berry and Benjamin Bratt make a very appealing romantic couple, and their scenes together are some of the best in the movie. Also impressive is Sharon Stone who deserves credit for allowing herself to appear in a role in which her "fading" beauty plays such a significant part (shades of Vivien Leigh playing Blanche DuBois in "A Streetcar Named Desire"). Stone is the villainous wife of the company's CEO who is determined to make sure Catwoman doesn't spill the beans on their defective product.

The special effects are probably the least successful aspect of this film. Catwoman's jumping from rooftop to rooftop looks an awful lot like CGI effects to me. And the movie does occasionally go on auto pilot (especially towards the end), though, thankfully, not usually for very long. The literal cat fight between Berry and Stone at the finale is necessary, I guess, but really rather silly overall.

Still, considering the pounding this movie received from both critics and audiences when it was first released in the summer of 2004, I wound up being pleasantly surprised at just how enjoyable "Catwoman" turned out to be.

It was a good, entertaining comic-book movie. Maybe comic-book flicks are supposed to be really deep nowadays, but this definitely isn't. It is entertaining and silly, though. It didn't deserve to get raked over the coals - its actually not bad.

It has Halle Berry displaying a lot of Halle Berry. If you're a fourteen year old boy, or were one, that's probably enough. She doesn't display too much though - mothers of those boys need not worry.

The action is strong and bloodless, the minor romantic themes are chaste, and Berry defeats the evil empress of the beauty products empire. (I did say this was a comic book, right?) Some of the "cat" scenes are laugh-out-loud funny, like falling off the shelf.

The effects are generally good, and the CGI cats are surprisingly good. It's competent and well made, of its sort, but probably not one for the ages. Well, they don't all have to be. It's a great popcorn movie.

//wiredweird

Catwoman is a superb movie. The story, similar to that of Spider-Man and Daredevil, is done in a way here that's very refreshing. The movie oozes with style, and a lead character that we can relate to sometimes. Catwoman has good and evil in her, and it's cool to see that. And Halle Berry does a fantastic job in the role.

I really enjoyed this movie, from the opening credits that were done very tastefully, to the action scenes (the jewelery store was my personal favorite, exceptional choreography). Sharon Stone is also here, and looks like she's having a blast being the villain. One thing I especially liked about the movie was the musical score. At times it was dramatic, then mixed with hip-hop and rock, but always excellent. I hope this DVD is loaded with special features, as I will be buying it as soon as it comes out.

What is worse than Joel Schumacher dooming the Batman movie series? Yet another movie "based" on Batman comics in which all those involve refuse to read a single comic book. At least Artisan and New Line paged through some comic lore before making movies based on Marvel characters. How can they expect a movie called Catwoman, without Selena Kyle, not set in Gotham, and no sign of any Batman character whatsoever, to do anything but BOMB?!! This halfhearted attempt to ressurect the Batman series can only fail because the plot and characters have absolutely nothing to do with the Batman series!! I had hoped with success of Spider-Man and X-Men (movies in which characters were researched) this kind of abuse of character licenses was a thing of the past. Apparently I was wrong. WB stick with Justice League & Batman Beyond. PLEASE!!

I have owned this movie for six years, and I finally watched it last night. I honestly don't understand all the low ratings. I know that Catwoman was a villain in the Batman comics and movies, but this was a new version for a new generation. Berry plays Patience Phillips, who is a shy artist working for a cosmetics company. While she is delivering a new design to her boss, she overhears a plot to sell defective beauty products that will make your skin decay. She is murdered and reborn after a cat with supernatural abilities breathes new life inside her. Soon, Patience slowly transforms into Catwoman, and tries to bring her killer to justice. I highly recommend CATWOMAN!!!

Reminder, possible plot points marked with ###s

Well i finally saw what some have called the worst train wreck in recent memory. While i can see where some might have a problem with it, ive got to say that i was pleasantly surprised by this movie. It had a rich plot with deep character development. The visuals were amazing and kept me on the edge of my seat the whole time. I never knew what was going to happen next and i couldnt believe how much this movie blew me away. Hallie really prooved how worthy she was of that Oscar!

Now take all that i just said, flip it to its polar opposite, and youll find my feelings for this movie.

Lets see, Patience Prince becomes Catwoman and comes to battles equiped with a whip and cleavage. Got it, cause thats really all there is here.

Wow! Ive got to say that im glad this monstrosoty no longer darkens my dvd player. I had to put it in one last time to see the deleted scenes. I thought perhaps my guests had went through enough torture and didnt want to see any more so we didnt watch them that night. Sorry if anyone wanted to see them, but trust me you missed about as much quality as the movie itself so no worries.

Hmmmm, where to begin. Hallie? Well, she certianly spit out the lines. With about as much talent as a blind person controlling air traffic. Seriously, did she suddenly go retarded? I expected her to pull an Ed from 'Crank Yankers' an express how much she 'Had to go poopie!' Somebody get her a litterbox stat! A friend mentioned she couldnt believe that Hallie got paid 22 million dollars to be in this movie and i corrected her. "No, they paid Hallies T1+S 22 million to be in this movie."

Shall we move on to the "cat" aspect of this film? Oh i believe we shall! Theres a specific funny/creepy moment that comes to mind ### when Patience gets a ball thrown at her and she starts rubbing it up against her face. As she appears to be close to "really enjoying herself" proportions she suddenly stops. The old woman smiles and simply says "Catnip". ### And then the old woman says "Keep going, i was enjoying that." Not really, but at least it wouldve been funnier than anything else in this movie. Well besides the movie itself that is.

Some of this movie was just plain stupidity that there was no way i could handle. ### Why the need for cgi cats? Batman Returns used real cats for the scene this movie ripped off and that was a couple of years ago! Just because the technology advances doesnt make it right to use it okay? ### And let me tell you a thing or two about Patiences love interest, Cop Guy! ### He has two things she has written 'Sorry' on. One he knew came from Patience, the other he knew came from Catwoman. He takes them to get analyzed by an 'expert' (lets use that term so loosely its in danger of falling off) that says "Oh theres no way these two people are the same. See this word is timid and this word is angry! Nope nope nope, two different people." AND THE FRICKEN COP JUST TAKES THAT!!!!!!! ARRRRRGGGGGGGGGG!!!!!!!!!!! ### Im telling you theres never been a moment in cinematic history that more made me wish id had one of those suicide booths from Futurama.

Final note. I couldnt even stand Alex Borstien in this movie! Thats a gigantic testament to its disgustivity. Unless you go into it fully understanding its something to make fun of, then i wouldnt suggest watching it. I usually try to close with some kind of joke but i...i just cant...

Final Grade: *puke*

I honestly love this movie. I have read the most terrible reviews online and no one seems to like it. I don't get it. The actors are great, the story works, the ending doesn't leave you being annoyed and there isn't much violence except toward the end.
Halley Berry is fantastic and the hard work I hear she put in paid off well. The soundtrack is brillant and the way Patience deals with her love relationship doesn't leave open ends or left out bits. The only thing I wish is that I had seen it on the big screen.
All in all a great movie.

I honestly mean it when I say that "Catwoman" is the worst movie I have seen in my life. It is the lowest of the low. The absolute bottom of the bucket. I have seen "Hypercube: Cube 2" and "Battlefield: Earth" and "Alone in the Dark" and "Plan 9" (who hasn't?) and even "Future War." Twice. That's right, I saw "Future War" two times the WHOLE way through, and I would still rather do that than watch "Catwoman" again.

Often when I say a movie is horrible, it's just hyperbole for the purpose of humor. But I really mean it when I say this. If I was to count how many horrible tragedies I would rather suffer than to watch "Catwoman" a second time, my head would explode once I realized that the list contained more entries than the number of atoms in the universe.

This movie is sh**. Utter sh**. It is the only movie I have ever seen where NOTHING is done right.

I know a lot of people who would probably say that this movie is good if you don't take it too seriously. But there's a problem with that assumption. In order for a movie to be good, light-hearted fun, the director has to think of his movie as a popcorn flick. Not a serious movie. Popcorn flicks are all about action and quick-paced fun. "National Treasure" is a popcorn flick. It's illogical and silly, but it's fun because it's breezy and has snappy one-liners and there's a lot of great action scenes. It's a fun movie because not even the director believes that he is making a realistic or serious movie. Nobody honestly thinks there's a treasure map on the back of the Declaration of Independence, so you can lean back and enjoy the show.

"Catwoman" is much different. Everything about it is made as if it is meant to be a serious movie. This isn't meant to be a pocorn flick, it's meant to be an exploration of serious themes like freedom and the conflict between good and evil. There aren't winks to the audience to let us know that the filmmakers are just playing around---it's just a dead, straightforward movie that is horribly put together.

Let's start with the basic concept: A superhero with the powers of a cat. When I think of cats, here are the special "talents" that they have/are said to have which a catperson might possess: 1) Exceptional balance. 2) Great jumping abilities. 3) Speed. 4) Quick reflexes. 5) Nine lives. 6) Retractable claws. 7) Mild toxins within the claws. 8) Sharp fangs. 9) Great night vision. 10) Always lands on their feet.

A good cat-based superhero would have most or all of these abilities and be pretty cool for it. Wolverine has retractable claws and he's pretty awesome, right? Super-speed, ability to jump---kind of like Spider-man, right? Night vision, reflexes, these are all great things you could use to have a good Cat Hero.

In "Catwoman," though, we have a superhero who has "far-sight" (which I'm not even sure cats actually have, but let's pretend they do) and she uses a whip. She can also stick onto walls and climb on them like a lizard. Occasionally she jumps, too, but mainly she climbs on the wall like a lizard. And she uses a whip. A whip?! What the f*** do whips have to do with cats?! Theoretically she has night-vision, but she uses it only when it's convenient and never at any times when it would make sense. She has claws, but they're actually fake fingernails that she has glued on to her gloves. She lands on her feet but only when it's at a time for comic relief. She has good balance, but only when she's talking on the phone with her friend. None of her abilities are all that good, and only a couple of them are even remotely cat-like. Halle Berry isn't the Catwoman that hunts and pounces and strikes when you least suspect it. She's the Catwoman that eats canned tuna and then sits in the corner licking her crotch.

So, she's not even a Catwoman. She's a weird-lizard-Furry-woman. And I haven't even gotten around to describing the movie yet!

Halle Berry. How you won an Oscar, I'll never know. You clearly looked to Dustin Hoffman for inspiration and watched "Rain Man" many times as research. And then Pitof told you that all you had to do was shake your booty a bunch and the illusion would be complete. Seriously, this is the worst performance in any movie I've ever seen. Berry manages to get every single emotion wrong. Even when she's playing a corpse, she doesn't look like she's doing a good job. It's embarassing to watch her. It's like watching a grown man running around in public wearing only a diaper.

The characters are all irritating, stupid, and wooden. Cliches all around, from the obese best friend who tells bad jokes to the evil boss who's cheating on his wife and tells bad jokes about her age. Patience Philips is the only character in the movie with any depth, but unfortunately she doesn't have length and width and must still suffer the shame of being uni-dimensional.

The story is about cosmetics that cause an irreparable skin condition. You know how the Joker did that in "Batman," and it was actually pretty cool because Jack Nicholson played the role with a lot of flair and the movie was stylistic and fun and didn't take itself completely seriously? Well, the trouble in Catwoman is that it DOES take itself seriously. It's one thing to have a plot about killer cosmetics and then throw in some other funny bits to show that the movie acknowledges its own absurdity. It's another thing altogether to have characters try delivering lines with straight faces that all hinge on KILLER COSMETICS.

The dialogue in this movie? My god. Jeff Foxworthy has more sophistication than the scriptwriter of this travesty. There is not a single good piece of dialogue in the whole movie. Even simple lines, like, "How are you?" are difficult.

It's probably expected that there would be at least one line in the movie where Catwoman says that something is "purrfect," but a good---or even an average---screenwriter would at least try to work it into the story subtly. In this movie, they don't bother. Catwoman actually breaks a scene and goes OUT OF HER WAY to say "Purr-fect" to remind us that she is, in fact, a CATwoman. Just in case we forgot. That's how all of the dialogue is in this movie---it's blunt and obvious and written as if you are a total idiot and can't figure anything out unless the script points it out for you.

There's a scene toward the end of this movie that really symbolizes my outrage at watching "Catwoman." The police are pursuing our lizard-crap-hero through a theater, and she leads them on a chase throughout a network of catwalks above the stage. There's some sort of odd play going on below, with a bunch of dancers doing stylish things in pink outfits. The audience looks bored. Suddenly, Catwoman jumps on the stage and climbs up the curtain to get away from her adversaries, disrupting the play. The audience cheers and breaks out in applause, really enjoying the show.

This is a stupid audience, easily amused by random crap with no context and a bad actress wearing an unflattering and ugly leather suit. They are monkeys. The director thinks of us like that audience.

Under no circumstances should you ever attempt to watch this movie. I give it zero stars.