 In
my review for Spider-Man 2,
I referred to the exhilarating superhero sequel as one of the
best comic book movies ever made. It sounded like high praise
at the time, but the more I thought about it, the more I realized
that it was a backhanded compliment. That’s because when it comes
down to it, there simply aren’t too many great superhero movies,
and for every winner like Spider-Man 2, there are a slew
of losers like The Punisher.
Unfortunately,
you can add Catwoman to the ever-growing list of losers.
Despite the presence of Oscar-winner Halle Berry -- who clearly
seems to be giving it her all -- the latest comic book adaptation
is marred by contrived plotting, self-indulgent direction, a campy
vibe and a weak villain.
Patience
Philips (Halle Berry) is a meek graphics designer who squanders
her considerable talents working for a tyrannical cosmetics magnate
(Lambert Wilson) and his cold supermodel wife (Sharon Stone).
When she overhears confidential information about a faulty new
anti-aging product, she is murdered and subsequently resurrected
by mysterious forces that give her enhanced catlike reflexes.
Now Patience -- who prances around town under the leather-clad
guise of Catwoman -- takes it upon herself to expose her former
boss’s deadly secret, but she soon becomes enamoured of a handsome
cop (Benjamin Bratt) who suspects that Patience and Catwoman have
far too much in common.
After making
her comic book debut back in 1940 as The Cat in the first issue
of Batman, it’s hard to believe that it took so long for Catwoman
to get her own big-budget movie. Too bad it wasn’t worth the wait.
For one thing, it doesn’t help that Batman is completely missing
in action. Catwoman was such a worthy foil to the caped crusader
because of her seductive influence on him (as most people will
recall from the campy 1960’s TV series and 1992’s Batman Returns).
Not only does she lack a worthy foil to meet her match, but the
nice guy cop played by Benjamin Bratt doesn’t even come close
to filling the sexual tension-filled void.
Catwoman
represents the first American film for French director Pitof,
and one can’t help but get the impression that something got lost
in the translation. In an effort to be stylish, he gives the film
a campy, S&M-laden vibe that doesn’t do justice to the character.
And when he’s not showing off with an overabundance of swooping
camera angles, he films his hyper-kinetic fight scenes so close
that they become hard to follow.
As far as
Halle Berry is concerned, she just doesn’t hold a candle to the
sensuous performances made famous by Eartha Kitt in the TV series
and Michelle Pfeiffer in Batman Returns. Perhaps that’s
because she plays Catwoman more like a leather-bound dominatrix,
and her costume is far from sexy (sorry, but that hat’s gotta
go!). Berry certainly makes an effective transformation, going
from meek and mild to confident and commanding, but her over the
top catlike mannerisms will no doubt invoke bursts of unintentional
laughter.
Not that
the supporting performances fare much better. Someone should have
told Sharon Stone that this was not the sequel to Basic Instinct,
because she’s certainly chewing up the scenery like it is (and
badly, I might add). And it doesn’t help that she disappears for
more than half the movie, during which time Berry has to contend
with Benjamin Bratt in a relationship that exudes zero chemistry.
Perhaps it
was too much to ask that the success of Spider-Man 2
would have signaled a more serious take on comic book movies,
but if Catwoman is any indication, there’s still a long
way to go. There’s certainly cause to be optimistic, as the buzz
is already strong on next summer’s Batman Begins and
the long-awaited big-budget version of The Fantastic Four.
As for a sequel to Catwoman…well, hopefully those plans
will end up at the bottom of the litter box.
|
