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 by 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 sexu al 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). 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.

Scott Mantz

Related links:
IMDB: Catwoman (2004)