Hmmm… when at all possible I try not to prejudge films. Sometimes it’s difficult when you wait for a DVD release because of all the trailers and word of mouth that have circulated the Internet. Such was the case with Warner Brother’s “Catwoman.” From the moment the first photo of actress Halle Berry in her Catwoman costume was posted there were jeers from both comic book and movie fans. Then as the production continued, every piece of news was met by even more jeers almost dooming the film before it ever hit theatres. From the word ‘go’ it was evident that there were going to be problems. First of all, you will always have difficulties selling a comic book movie to everyone. Comic book fanatics are amongst the hardest to please, even on those rare occasions when a superhero movie is actually good.

Take “Spider-Man” for example. Both the 1st and 2nd films were perfect examples of how to do a super hero movie right. Granted, there were a few little nitpicks (organic web-shooters and a Green Goblin costume that looked more at home on the ‘Tour de France’), but for the most part the producers got everything right. But in spite of this, there are still those who post their little comments trashing both movies. There are times I don’t know if this is an honest opinion, or simply their opportunity to get some much sought after attention.

What hurt “Catwoman” was the fact that it was pretty much a given that the producers were going to majorly tinker with a character almost as iconic as the superhero she is best associated with… Batman. This is one hero whose world you simply don’t mess with, unless you want every fan on the planet on your tail. In the past the character was pretty much presented as she should, a cat burglar who straddles the fence between good and bad. Like the Batman, she has no super powers and gets along by her wits and agility. It wasn’t until the film “Batman Returns”, where director Tim Burton imbued her with the suggestion of feline powers. However, in watching the film it is evident that these ‘powers’ are really no more than a manifestation of her psychosis.

In this new film, Catwoman takes on a new face and origin. We are not told the story of Selina Kyle, but that of Patience Phillips, a meek corporate lackey who stumbles on a dark secret of the company she works for. This secret gets her ‘killed’, but not entirely. We find out that when she died, she was also reborn because of being chosen by an ancient Egyptian Goddess. She is given the ‘powers’ (as it were) of a cat… agility, heightened senses, a weakness for catnip, and some serious Kung Fu moves. (By the way, it is a given that all cats know Kung Fu… they just choose not to use it.)

From all I had heard about the movie, I thought it couldn’t be THAT bad. I almost went to the theatre to see it just to see for myself. Of course, opportunities came and went and in the end, I opted to wait for the DVD release. I was hesitant, but decided I would go in with flat lined expectations and allow the film to take me where it would. Was “Catwoman” as bad as all the hype? Not to be too ambiguous, but yes and no.

Director Pitof (yes, you read that right… Pitof) delivered a film that was campy and silly, and included smatterings of cringe-inducing dialogue. Some of the scenes were incredibly lame, and in the case of the climactic fight… downright flat. The costume, which when it first appeared Online was a hoped for fake, turned out to be the real thing. It included, if you remember, artfully ripped leather pants, and what amounted to a black bra. It would have been laughably bad if Berry wasn’t in such magnificent shape. Then there was the casting of Sharon Stone as the film’s villain. Physically she was perfect as the aging beauty queen and pseudo Mary Kay wannabe, but her performance was about as exciting as watching paint dry. It really seemed like she was sleepwalking through the movie.

BUT… there were some things I did like about the movie. First and foremost was said casting of Halle Berry. While I would have rather seen Michelle Pfeiffer back in action, Berry did a great job capturing the various personas of the character as she was written. Though I personally don’t really consider her an Oscar caliber actress, she has a lot of charisma and does do good work. Some of her scenes in “Catwoman” are played very well, and she even manages to deliver some of the bad dialogue with a straight face. Then there was a scene where Berry is walking around the furniture of her apartment while on the phone, and it is my favorite scene in the film. She moves very gracefully on the furniture and it doesn’t look at all like ‘wire work.’

Then there are the parts of the movie that, like Catwoman, I ride the fence on. I say this because these ideas would have been great if the producers of the film had decided to create a whole new Catwoman character, disconnected from the world of Batman. The plotline about the Egyptian Goddess was not a bad idea, it just went against everything we knew of this particular character up until now. The special effects were another problem. There is still a lot of work that needs to done in the world of CGI, before I buy into the fact that I’m seeing a real character bounding across the rooftops. The rendering itself looked amazingly like Berry, but like the work done in “Daredevil”, the characters had no weight, as if gravity didn’t exist. Most of these scenes just looked too much like a video game.

In the end, I found that I enjoyed “Catwoman” more than I expected to, but was still disappointed to see what amounted to an unfulfilling movie. There was so much potential for it to be more than it was, but it just didn’t quite hit the mark.

On the other hand, the new DVD out this week does offer up some worthwhile extra features. There are some additional scenes, including an alternate and less cartoon-ish ending as well as a look behind the scenes. This featurette is nice in the fact that you get a look at how some of the better shots were filmed. But the best featurette comes in the form of a look back at the character of Catwoman. It is hosted by Eartha Kitt, and it includes interviews with all of the earlier TV and movie Catwomen. We hear from Julie Newmar, Lee Meriweather and Michelle Pfeiffer (though her interviews are obviously stock footage from the older Batman film), as well as Adrienne Barbeau (who was the voice of Catwoman on the superlative “Batman the Animated Series”). Plus we get some interesting comments from Adam West, Tim Burton, and a slew of comic book artists, most notably Alex Ross.

I wish I could give “Catwoman” higher marks because watching it was at least a silly and goofy ride. But the unrealized potential of what could have been a much better movie force me to give it a less than stellar ranking.

Directed by: Pitof
Starring: Halle Berry, Benjamin Bratt, Lambert Wilson, Frances Conroy, Sharon Stone
Extras: Alternate Ending, Deleted Scenes, “The Many Faces of Catwoman”, “Behind the Scenes”, Theatrical Trailer
Specifications: Widescreen, Dolby Digital 5.1 Surround Sound
Studio: Warner Brothers
Release Date: 1/18/2005
Region 1
MPAA Rating: PG-13 (Action Violence and Some Sensuality)
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We'll give Catwoman a C-.