Warner Bros.
Twenty years ago , DC Comics attempted to come to a long - dormant project with an Oscar - get ahead star amid what seemed to be a young years for superhero movies afterthe consuming achiever of Sam Raimi’sSpider - Man 2 . The effect was an instantly deride film that became Hollywood ’s punching bag and a cautionary tale of whatnotto do when adapting a beloved comic record book grapheme . In the death , it derailed the career of its gifted star and did considerable damage to its feline protagonist .
Today , Catwoman‘s reputation is n’t much better . wide regarded as a trainwreck of epic ratio , the plastic film is one of the biggest stain in DC ’s grimy portfolio , a slice of showbusiness infamy that continues to scare Hollywood executives and would - be starlet alike . Although it has been somewhat reclaimed by a select few amid today ’s acculturation of “ maybe this awful movie was n’t really so bad,”Catwomanis still a nightmare and , quite perhaps , the single worst comic book adaption ever . On its 20th day of remembrance , have ’s look back at its abominable legacy and unpack what makes it so bad — and what might be its sole economy grace .
Warner Bros.
Hear her purr
To understand whyCatwomanis such a horrific adaptation of the title character , you must first understand who Catwoman is . Debuting as “ The Cat ” in the firstBatmanissue in 1940,Catwoman has been through legion living , going from petty , little - clock time thief to minor pain in the neck in Batman ’s path to full - on antagonist openly causing topsy-turvydom throughout Gotham . Although a few character have assumed the mantle over the years , the feline ’s most wide recognise iteration is Selina Kyle , a seductive antihero and love interest for Bruce Wayne and his alter ego .
Arguably laughable book canon ’s most celebrated femme fatale , Catwoman is a lord of self - service of process and shift allegiances . Mercurial and knavish , she is n’t afraid to switch sides , wager the field , chess , lie down , and betray if it have in mind staying alive in a game that is often rigged against small - metre players like her . Although selfish and decidedly troubled , Catwoman is n’t a villain per se — she often acts as an unreliable friend of Batman , to the point where she is now commonly accepted as a member of the Bat Family .
Before Berry , many actress work Catwoman to lifein both film and television , and in alive - action and animation . In the 1960s TV show , Julie Newmar , Lee Meriwether , and Eartha Kitt played Catwoman before three - time Oscar nominee Michelle Pfeiffer played the unequivocal variant of the character in Tim Burton ’s deliciously sultryBatman Returnsin 1992.Pfeiffer ’s Catwoman was so popularthat Burton entertained a solo picture for her for old age , which ultimately never came to pass . It was from the ashes of this unrealised project that 2004’sCatwomanwas hold .
Patience isn’t a virtue
One of the film ’s main issues is the baffle pick to have someone other than Selina Kyle be the moving picture ’s focus . The protagonist , Patience Phillips , is the typical loser in a amusing book movie , an everyday figure who becomes extraordinary by receive especial abilities . The film also ignores Catwoman ’s connection with The Dark Knight , or else present her as a desperate figure operating outside Gotham City and seeking justness against those who wronged her . Rather than being a ego - function thief hear to get ahead , this Catwoman is a superhero by every measured , concluded with supernatural power .
Pfeiffer ’s version did indeed let in an element of the supernatural ; she was quite literally , being brought back from the dead by a bunch of isolated cats . However , Burton did n’t even trouble to explain the how or why behind the process — it just happened . The deliberate want of detail worked in Pfeiffer ’s favor , allowing her to embrace the absurd by do by it matter - of - factly . This attack is nowhere to be regain inCatwoman , which render to give the character a backstory date back to Ancient Egypt boast “ catwomen ” with cat - like power and ties to the goddess Bast .
Suffice it to say , this choice sucks ; the more the movie sample to justify itself , the more ridiculous it sounds . Whereas Pfeiffer and the women that came before her proudly brook with their heads moderate gamy thanks to their ego - aware feeler to the character , Berry and conductor Pitof ’s insistence on turning Catwoman into a lore - rich human body out of mythology result in a bastardization of the iconic feline fatale .
Catwoman ’s intensity has always relied on her insistency to rest elusive and rum ; the less he eff about her , the more likable she is to Batman and , thus , the audience . Quite simply , Catwomanreveals too much about the fictitious character ; unfortunately , what it reveals is not worth knowing .
Put some respect on Halle Berry’s name
In 2004 , Halle Berry was at the top of the Hollywood plot . The 2002 Oscar winner for Best Actress — the first Black womanhood to triumph in the category , no less — Berry was no alien to blockbusters . Since 2000 , she had been play Ororo Munroe , aka Storm , in theX - Menfranchise , which had releasedthe acclaimedX2 : X - Men Uniteda class before . In 2002 , she play Jinx , the Bond Girl inDie Another daylight , which was critically panned , but successful enough for the studio apartment to considera spinoff film for Berry ’s character .
While her track record was somewhat much 50 - 50 , Berry was still a highly try actress and one of the biggest genius of her time . When word of her casting as Catwoman came out , fan were frantic , to say the least .
judge Berry ’s performance inCatwomanis tricky . She is a dupe of a terrible combination of wicked factor abysmally executed : the screenplay is risky , Pitof ’s commission is lackluster , the editing is revolt , her conscientious objector - stars very patently do not want to be there , the action is objectively awful , the humor is cringeworthy … even the damn suit is an rape on the eyes .
Yet , Berry is there with a to the full convoluted portrayal that is almost screaming in how attached it is to such second-rate cloth . What ’s worse is that Berry does n’t seem to be in on the joke — she , like Pitof , seems to believeCatwomanis something it ’s not , perplexing stupidity with humor . But the laughs they discover are mockery , not entertainment , and they are only barely more audible than the chorus of boos in the background .
The actress does her utter intimately despite misunderstand the material . Berry is in there , wearing what is basically a brassiere with leather bloomers and discover - toe high heels , delivering lineslike “ White Russian . No ice , hold the vodka , adjudge the Kahlua ” with full article of faith and not an ounce of sarcasm .
She wipes her Milk River mustache like she ’s in an erotic thriller rather than a dazed comic Koran film before taking to the leg to do an ill-chosen terpsichore to the tune of the most generic - sounding EDM . It ’s somehow more cringe - desirable than the dance - off inWhite Chicks . The hard Berry tries — and she trieshard — the more embarrassing everything around her becomes .
Catwomanis one of the few movies that develop worse the better its lead actor is . In this very picture show , Sharon Stone is deliver objectively risible , all - time - terrible acting , histrionic and overdone , yet puzzlingly plastered . It ’s a paycheck gig and a dire attempt to detain relevant if ever there was one .
see the two together is gripping , a clash of misdirected , mistaken , misconstrued talent ; whereas Berry ’s stiffness seems to be a eccentric choice , Stone ’s hamming stems from a lack of involvement in what she distinctly considers textile that ’s beneath her . Yet , only one of these two ladies is an Oscar victor , and it ’s not the one one-half - assing it .
You are Patience. And you’re not Catwoman
For years , Halle Berry has received the blame forCatwoman‘s nonstarter , but the truth is , if the film has become something of a cult classicin recent year , it ’s all because of her . Rather , the inculpation should go to everyone else in the film , who never quite attain her horizontal surface of dedication . Pitof is quite possibly the biggest culprit behind this mess , directingCatwomanas a hypersexualizedLa Perlaad rather than a risible Bible movie .
The cast , including a totally disinterested Benjamin Bratt and the aforementioned Stone , are also bafflingly speculative , although the ever - true Frances Conroy does get some points for take Myrtle Snow to life years before the red - headed beldame was a glimmer in Ryan Murphy ’s eye . The redaction is perhapsCatwoman‘s most dreadful view , with the mediocre fight chronological succession having more cuts than Berry ’s leather pants .
Catwomanis the worst eccentric of blockbuster , a profoundly stupefied exertion that actually believes itself dear . If only there had been some element of ego - cognizance at play , then the film could ’ve endured as a so - unfit - it’s - good classic . If Berry had just surrendered to the amentia around her , Faye Dunaway - style , thenCatwomanwould excel as a camp chef-d’oeuvre .
But none of that happened , and instead , Catwomannow exists as a cinematic sinfulness , a premier example of everything that can go unseasonable when not one soul demand in the making of a celluloid understands why they ’re there in the first place . It ’s not hard to seeCatwomanis the worst comic book adaptation ever made , a infamous bequest it is n’t potential to overcome anytime soon or ever . This kitty should ’ve stayed stagnant .
Catwomanis available torent or current on Amazonand other digital vender .
