Catwoman (2004)
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A meek graphic designer gains feline-like powers after a near-fatal encounter with a corporate conspiracy.
The story
Patience Phillips, a meek graphic designer at the cosmetics company Hedare Beauty, discovers a dangerous conspiracy involving a skin cream that causes severe health problems. After being targeted and left for dead by the company's conspirators, she is mysteriously revived by an Egyptian Mau cat. This event grants her cat-like metahuman abilities, transforming her into the crime-fighting superheroine Catwoman. Now possessing a new identity and heightened abilities, Patience must navigate her new reality while investigating the truth behind her attempted murder and the conspiracy surrounding the product.
Full plot (contains spoilers)
Patience Phillips works for Hedare Beauty and discovers that their new skin cream, Beau-line, has dangerous side effects. After being attacked by guards and left for dead, she is revived by a cat named Midnight, which grants her metahuman abilities. She adopts the persona of Catwoman to investigate her situation. She discovers that the company's owner's wife, Laurel Hedare, is responsible for the deaths of several people involved in the project. After a confrontation where Laurel frames her for murder, Patience escapes and eventually confronts Laurel. During the fight, Patience realizes the horrific truth about the product's effects. She manages to defeat Laurel, who falls to her death. Though cleared of all charges, Patience chooses to live outside the law as Catwoman, embracing her new life of freedom.
- First release year
- 2004
- Runtime (minutes)
- 104
- Production countries
- United States
- Original languages
- English
- Directors
- Pitof
- Writers
- John Brancato · screenplay; Michael Ferris · screenplay; John Rogers · screenplay; Theresa Rebeck · story
- Cast and characters
- Halle Berry · Catwoman; Benjamin Bratt; Lambert Wilson; Frances Conroy; Sharon Stone
- Genres
- superhero; action
- Themes
- transformation; identity; corporate greed
- Tone and mood
- action; dark
- Premise and plot tags
- superheroine; metahuman; vigilante
- Source material / true-story basis
- DC Comics
- Franchise connections
- DC Comics
- Reception
- The film was widely panned by critics and audiences, becoming a box-office bomb, but it has developed a cult following as a 'so-bad-it's-good' film.
- Reported review scores
- Rotten Tomatoes · score: 8% · scale: percentage · review count: 195; Metacritic · score: 27 · scale: 100 · review count: 35
- Awards and nominations
- Golden Raspberry Award · Worst Picture · Win; Golden Raspberry Award · Worst Director · Win; Golden Raspberry Award · Worst Actress · Win; Golden Raspberry Award · Worst Screenplay · Win
- Production trivia
- The film was intended to be a spin-off from the Batman universe but was mandated to be separate.
Film metadata comes from the open sources listed in Credits & Contact. Catalogue details may be incomplete.
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