STAR RATINGS EXPLAINED
Unmissable
Excellent
Good
Poor
Tragic

FILM DETAILS

Certificate TBC

Cast Halle Berry Benjamin Bratt Sharon Stone Lambert Wilson.

Directors Pitof.

Screenwriters Ed Solomon John O'Brien.

Running Time 0 minutes

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Catwoman
Halle Berry unsheathes her claws as the feline vigilante

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Plot
After being resurrected by an ancient Egyptian cat, cosmetics industry designer Patience Phillips (Berry) turns from shy, badly-dressed punchbag into the vengeful, powerful Catwoman. Employing her feline powers, Phillips seeks rough justice for those who killed her...

Review
This isn't the slinky anti-heroine of the Batman comic books or Tim Burton movie. It isn't even a tongue-in-cheek tribute to any of the Catwomen (Julie Newmar, Eartha Kitt) from the campy '60s TV show. In the hands of Halle Berry and French visual effects whizz-turned-director Pitof, Catwoman is a new breed of feline. And not an attractive one.

Starting from scratch, with no connection to the previous incarnations, this Catwoman has more in common - storywise, at least - with undead avenger The Crow. Halle Berry does all she can to sex up the stale proceedings once she's transformed from frowzy wallflower into lithe whip-cracker. Sadly, despite her still undeniable screen presence and poised intensity, Berry fails to break out of the formulaic Hollywood summer movie routine. Patience tests out her new abilities (she has keen senses! She's supernaturally agile! She drinks milk! She hisses at dogs!) and squeezes into a ludicrous costume to, sort of, fight crime, before embarking on a mewling rampage of revenge. Fetish-freak-reject wardrobe aside, the biggest problem here is the logic-starved plot, revolving around a cosmetics conspiracy in which Lambert Wilson and his scheming spouse, Sharon Stone, invent a face cream which dissolves your skin if you stop using it.

It doesn't really matter that Catwoman '04 is so distant from a character who's been around for six-odd decades - in fact, a new, inventive take would have been welcome - but this wannabe blockbuster is far from original. We don't get a narrative line here, only excuses for shoddily executed action scenes (the bad CG renders the pouncing Berry weightless and unconvincing), a forced romantic subplot (why Benjamin Bratt's do-gooder cop falls for Patience is anyone's guess) and a laughable, OTT climax. Here, Berry catfights bitchy make-up doyenne Stone, now a superpowered chick herself with hard-as-steel skin. And why does she have hard-as-steel skin? Because she slaps on pumped-up face cream. Oh yes, it really is that silly.

Catwoman Released: 17 January 2005 An embarrassing ‘making of’, turgid deleted scenes, and a surprisingly watchable history of the character with most of her incarnations taking part.

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Catwoman

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Average user rating for Catwoman

RE: Catwoman

Bad CGI walking. ... More

Posted by sanchia at 21:06, 14 January 2010 | Report This Post

RE: Catwoman

In my eyes he worst movie ever made!! Its so bad halle berry didnt seem to want to actually be in it as they pretty much cgi'd her every move. CGI FRICKING WALKING!!!!REALLY!!!!! ... More

Posted by Frank Castle at 21:01, 14 January 2010 | Report This Post

RE: Catwoman

It's like Ugly Betty meets Prostitute-Spiderman. And it's crap. ... More

Posted by PotHeel at 20:46, 14 January 2010 | Report This Post

premierbaron, you're messed up in the head. This was the larget pile of shite I have ever had the dis-pleasure to accidently view. When I saw this, it was on ITV was a was bed-bound with man-flu. It came on. I thought "Oh crap, this is meant to be shit" I wasn't wrong. I literally just lead there, the controls out of reach yelling "HELP!!!!! FOR GOD'S SAKE BLOODY HELP ME!!!!!!!!!" I was in a coma when they found me. The Doctor prescribes 5 back to back viewings of Batman Begi... More

Posted by Mr. Chumba at 17:01, 20 May 2008 | Report This Post

What a f&#!ng peace of sh!t ... More

Posted by minotaur3004 at 12:46, 19 April 2007 | Report This Post

RE: Catwoman

As much as i love Halle, i've got 2 be honest - i thought the movie sucked! Costume made it worse, as it wasnt impressive or even sexy. jennifer garner does the female anti- hero thing better in Elektra (which deserved much more credit) ... More

Posted by jor el180 at 14:17, 19 March 2006 | Report This Post

RE: Catwoman

One of the worst movies ever made. Catwoman costume has been changed to what looks like S/M and even worse no Batman! Well, never mind it deserved a razzie for being rubbish. 0/5 ... More

Posted by Tokenfella at 01:45, 19 March 2006 | Report This Post

RE: Catwoman

Absolute and unforgivable trash.   It could have been an amazing movie - the set-up from Pfeiffer in 'Batman Returns' was perfect. Pity. Because I actually really quite like Halle Berry as an actress. But a conspiracy about beauty cream?! idiculous.   I'll give it 2/5 for effort and the gratifying moment where Sharon Stone died. ... More

Posted by Jessica_ca_ca_ca at 20:14, 18 March 2006 | Report This Post

Catwoman

Brilliant movie that lives up to its expectations. Bad reviews give this movie a let down. In fact, it is a sleek, sexy movie. ... More

Posted by premierbaron at 14:19, 18 March 2006 | Report This Post

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