CATWOMAN - PREVIEW 

Catwoman (2004)

Starring: Halle Berry, Sharon Stone, et al.
Director: Pitof

Opening Date: July 23, 2004

 

This one already has “bomb” written all over it. Advance word is lousy (see what some people who have seen it already had to say about it below) and the film is undergoing last moment re-shootings after testing poor with pre-screening audiences – always an ominous sign.

OK, so the brilliant 12 Monkeys tested poorly with pre-screening audiences, but don’t count on Catwoman being another 12 Monkeys.

Anyway, the film (starring Halle Berry, Monster’s Ball, X-Men) seems to have little to do with either the original DC Comics character or the one played by Michelle Pfeiffer in the 1992 Batman Returns. (In the original comics Catwoman is a professional jewel thief who has a love/hate relationship with Batman.)

Here’s what some site visitors on Amazon.com had to say about the movie:

"The Motion Picture Association of Arts & Sciences will be knocking on Halle Berry's front door taking back the Oscar that she was awarded back in 2002, for her role in Monster's Ball, once Catwoman is unleashed in theatres."

"Pointless film that has nothing to do with the Batman villainess of the same name. Berry stars as a woman who loves cats & after a fatal drowning turns into a human cat, complete with superhuman feline prowess. Sharon Stone co-stars as the main villainess, which Berry seeks to claim vengeance upon."

"I've seen the film and it sucks. Big time. It was a bad idea to turn away from the legendary story of Catwoman (Catwoman is a master burglar & overall thief in the Batman comics) and try to take a different more mystical, superhero route with it. After Batman Returns came out in the summer 1992, it was quite a hot idea to have a spin-off film with the femme feline in her own film. But, with Michelle Pfeiffer passing on the project early on (she was the original Cat in Batman Returns. She was hot too!) & the death of the Batman franchise, thanks to the stinky, cheese bomb that is known as Batman & Robin, who the hell cares!?!"

— Amazon.com

"Thought Van Helsing was the worst we would see this summer? Think again. Here comes Halle Berry in, what could be, the first huge failure of the summer, both critically and financially. Avoid this one at all costs folks. From the very start, the very idea of basing a film on a Batman villain was a bad idea. Turning her into a hero with super powers (catwoman has no powers, she's just at skilled thief) was a big mistake. With plenty of Marvel Films out there as great examples of HOW to do comic book films, WB's of course thinks they know better. Creating a film that is a mere shadow of the original character."

"The supporting cast is also filled with terrible choices. Sharon Stone, Benjamin Bratt. When was the last time they made a good film? Remember Halle Berry and her terrible Storm performance in X-Men? Have you SEEN Gothika? She should have her Oscar revoked for those atrocities.
Please be smart. Go watch something else this summer. Show WB that their contempt for the movie going audience has reached a new low. Catwoman deserves to bomb and then some."

— Amazon.com

Plot Summary for Catwoman (2004):

Catwoman is the story of shy, sensitive artist Patience Philips (Halle Berry), a woman who can't seem to stop apologizing for her own existence. She works as a graphic designer for Hedare Beauty, a mammoth cosmetics company on the verge of releasing a revolutionary anti-aging product. When Patience inadvertently happens upon a dark secret her employer is hiding, she finds herself in the middle of a corporate conspiracy. What happens next changes Patience forever. In a mystical twist of fate, she is transformed into a woman with the strength, speed, agility and ultra-keen senses of a cat. With her newfound prowess and feline intuition, Patience becomes Catwoman, a sleek and stealthy creature balancing on the thin line between good and bad. Like any wildcat, she's dangerous, elusive and untamed. Her adventures are complicated by a burgeoning relationship with Tom Lone (Benjamin Bratt), a cop who has fallen for Patience but cannot shake his fascination with the mysterious Catwoman, who appears to be responsible for a string of crime sprees plaguing the city.

— Amazon.com

Trivia about Catwoman:

• Ashley Judd was originally slated for the lead role.
• Michelle Pfeiffer had low opinions of the costume's comfort level from Batman Returns (1992) and consequently declined reprising the role.
• Josh Lucas was offered the role of Detective Tom Lone, but turned it down.
• 43 cats were trained for the film. Halle Berry adopted one of them afterwards, an Orange and White youngster named Play Dough.
• The monologue delivered by Berry in the preview is taken from the movie The Crow (1994) with minor editing to fit the movie (e.g. "crow" to "cat")
• Due to a scheduling conflict, Graeme Revell and William Orbit had to withdraw from their scoring duties. The new composer is Klaus Badelt.
• A remix of the Young Gunz's song "Grown Man" featuring Kanye West was initially lined up to be the first single from the soundtrack. But due to label difficulties the song was nixed for the R. Kelly and Britney Spears collaboration "Outrageous"
• It took nine days to film the major fight scene between Catwoman (Halle Berry) and Laurel Hedare (Sharon Stone).
• A Bengal Tiger was used in the film.
• The majority of the time that we see Halle Berry using a whip, it is computer generated, as opposed to Michelle Pfieffer 's appearance as Catwoman in Batman Returns (1992), where she actually learned how to use a bull whip.
•  The movie had to undergo re-shoots after testing poorly with screeners, with only a month left before the theatrical release date.
   

— Amazon.com

• Read a review of Catwoman.