By Tanya Batson-Savage, Freelance Writer
Halle Berry in the movie 'Catwoman'.
CATWOMAN is clearly among the runt of the litter of superhero movies that are going around. Despite numerous high action sequences, the movie fails to give a great rush. This movie proves that it takes more than a skintight suit to make a superhero people can go home in awe of.
In her defence, Halle Berry (Catwoman/Patience Phillips) purrs beautifully and she walks and moves like a cat. Unfortunately, there are some essential cat traits which she, as Catwoman, lacks. First, No self-respecting cat would be caught traipsing around in high heels. In truth, cats are vain creatures and so it is plausible that a kitty might want to wear stilettos. Unfortunately, the first thing anyone knows is that those pointed heels make the shoes as noisy as all get out. Thus, they are not great for stealth. There is a reason cats have paws, after all. It's also not very smart to wear toeless shoes.
NO PLOT
The essential problem is that more effort was put into Catwoman's costume than the plot itself. So, if your real focus is to see Halle Berry work the leather out of her suit, pout, strut and crack a whip with dominatrix abandon, then you have nothing to worry about. However, if you go looking for a little more, the fact that the plot and the costume have an equal number of holes may throw you off some what.
This Catwoman may be able to leap along tall buildings, but for some reason people keep being able to sneak up on her. Apparently, cats may have great eyesight, but their hearing and sense of smell are not very good. Her growth towards superhero or villain also does not make sense and her seeking vengeance is clearly an afterthought, something to do between the strutting and pouting.
But nothing throws the movie off like the lack of a villain that one can sink their teeth (or diamond studded claws) into. Sharon Stone, alabaster and granite skin aside, simply does not make the grade. However, it is funny to see Berry (one of the major faces for the cosmetics industry) trying to take down a cosmetics tycoon.
Now that is irony.
Irony aside, one can make no connections with either hero or villain. At the same time, though adequate, neither the fight sequences nor graphics are extraordinary and so they cannot make up for the lack. If they were going to rob the story of personality, the least they could do was make it mind-numbingly violent and action packed, so that we wouldn't notice the deficiency.
To be fair, Catwoman has it harder than all the other superheroes. While all Superman needs is a phone booth and Peter Parker can simply rip off his clothing while running and become Spider-Man, Catwoman has to go home and make sure that her make-up is perfect. She has to line her lips, her eyes, everything and that takes time. Then she has to learn to walk on high ledges in heels. That alone is super-hero work, as so many women have found it hard to walk on solid ground in shoes like those, much less prancing from building to building. As a pro-dominatrix film, Catwoman might work, but as super-hero flick it has a lot more work to do.
