Even Catwoman’s own star Halle Berry thinks that the film’s purring plot was “soft.” Fans of the Marvel Cinematic Universe should count themselves lucky today, because as bad as things have been with disappointing entries like The Marvels, Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania and Eternals, the MCU still hasn’t laid an egg quite like Catwoman. French filmmaker Pitof’s take on the DC Comics anti-hero remains one of the worst superhero flicks of all time. And as Catwoman celebrates its 20th anniversary, Berry says, “I always knew that was a soft superhero plight.” The actress elaborated in an interview with Entertainment Weekly:
“I always thought the idea of Catwoman saving women from a face cream felt a bit soft.
All the other superheroes save the world; they don’t just save women from cracked faces.
I always knew that was a soft superhero plight,
but at that time in my career, I didn’t have the agency I have today or belief that I could challenge that.
So, I went along with it.”
catwoman
- Director
- Pitof
- Runtime
- 104
- Writers
- Bob Kane , Theresa Rebeck , John D. Brancato , Michael Ferris , John Rogers
Berry, who had won the Best Actress Oscar for her work in Monster’s Ball (2001) just three years prior to Catwoman, spoke about her time on set making the superhero train wreck. Berry continued during the same sit-down:
“Things went smoothly
[for me].
It was a great shoot, and I had the time of my life.
I worked my ass off to embody a cat in so many ways, psychologically and physically.
I never thought it went awry;
I just thought that maybe
it wouldn’t feel as big as other movies because the plot stakes aren’t as high.”
From Oscar Winner to Razzies Recipient
Catwoman is irrefutably one of the worst superhero movies of all time. Critics lambasted the 2004 film, which resulted in it registering a dismal 8% on the Tomatometer. Fans have been equally unkind to Halle Berry’s version of the Batman baddie from the comic books, as Catwoman’s Rotten Tomatoes audience score is only 18% today. While the plot had its problems, as the Oscar-winning actress admits, the fandom wasn’t thrilled with the anti-hero’s new look either. Berry said during the same interview:
“Fans were upset about the suit.
It was something different.
But in our minds, why keep remaking Catwoman if you’re not going to take risks and bring something different to it?
The beauty was that it was
better suited for my version of her, my body, who I was, and my sensibilities.”
Not only did the film reap the wrath of fans and critics, but Berry herself faced ridicule for her performance as the protagonist Patience Phillips, aka Catwoman. In fact, the Academy Award winner found herself at the opposite end of the spectrum as Berry received the Worst Actress Golden Raspberry at the 2005 Razzies! Berry said:
“I didn’t love [the backlash].
Being a Black woman,
I’m used to carrying negativity on my back, fighting, being a fish swimming upstream by myself.
I’m used to defying stereotypes and making a way out of no way. I didn’t want to be casual about it,
but I went and collected that Razzie, laughed at myself, and kept it moving.”
2:17
Related
Never Let Go Trailer Pairs Halle Berry with Horror Master Alexandre Aja
Never Let Go stars Halle Berry as a mother trying to protect her children from evil forces and hits theaters September 27.
Inexplicably, Catwoman ranks near the top of MovieWeb’s Best Halle Berry Performances, although it’s hard to imagine the majority of critics and/or fans ever believing Berry’s work in Catwoman actually surpasses what she achieved in films like Gothika and the X-Men franchise.
At the time of this writing,
Catwoman
is available on Sling TV and most VOD platforms, including
Fandango at Home.