Awfully Good Movies: Catwoman (2004)

July 14th 2021, 11:05am

Last Updated on July 30, 2021

Catwoman (2004)

DIRECTOR: Pitof CAST: Halle Berry, Benjamin Bratt, Sharon Stone

Also streaming on HBO Max

Now that BLACK WIDOW has snapped the Marvel Universe back to life on the big screen, Awfully Good Movies is finally ready to take down the infamous disaster that nearly brought progress for female superhero movies to a halt before it really began. It is CATWOMAN…hear it bore!

Originally conceived as a spinoff for Michelle Pfeiffer's latex suited portrayal of Selina Kyle from BATMAN RETURNS, this solo film for one of DC Comics' most famed heroes/villains underwent many changes before its release–namely the casting of Halle Berry in the title role right after her groundbreaking Oscar win for MONSTER'S BALL. Unfortunately for Halle, the other changes to the CATWOMAN movie set her up for one of the biggest post-Oscar faux paws…and yes, those awful cat puns are merely the beginning.

Not only was there no Batman or Gotham City to be found, but Berry's Catwoman is now reinvisioned as an art designer for a beauty company who is killed after discovering the toxic secret of its new anti-aging cream, then brought back to life by a magic Egyptian cat that gives her the powers of heightened senses and improved agility which she uses to…kick Benjamin Bratt's ass in a game of hoops. And did I mention her craving for tuna? Oh, how I wish this was a joke, but Catwoman’s badly edited battles against a tired Sharon Stone in this flick help it stand alongside STEEL and BATMAN & ROBIN as one of the lowest points of DC Comics' film history. At least we can be thankful that Patience Phillips would be the last badly CGI'ed catwoman to ruin a DC comic book adaptation…until Kristen Wiig as Cheetah, that is.