mrniceguy106

I know, I know, almost NO ONE liked this movie. It's completely understandable why.

I can get over the fact that this is not the Catwoman we know and love from the Batman series (Selina Kyle) this is a new entity. Patience has superhuman abilities, cat-like reflexes, blah, blah, blah, where as Selina is more or less a human being. But this movie just sucks. There's no way around it.

First, there's the costume. The initial "night out" where Patience wears the full leather suit with just the little mask over her eyes, THAT would have been fine. But then she puts on the ridiculous outfit she wears throughout the rest of the movie. High heels that would give anyone wearing them for more than ten minutes blisters the size of pancakes, basically a leather bra that any adversary could open by cutting the tiny string holding it together in the middle, and to top it all off a huge, pointed-ears helmet thing that is just plain lame. Whoever was in charge of costumes should be publically shot. Anyone who took it upon themselves to fight crime would never wear anything like that, it's just nonsense. Not to mention the fact that they never show her fashioning this hideous thing. She just sort of shows up in it.

Second is the directing. Pitof should be shot along with the costume designer. Every shot flies by your face before you can see what's going on, and the performances from very capable actors and actresses fell flat -- the job of the director is to coax good performances from his/her actors. I'm wondering if Pitof was even present for filming. An intern could have done a better job with the direction.

Third are the fight scenes. I didn't go into this film expecting much, but at the very least I expected decent fight scenes, especially considering all the hype about how the used capoiera and all that. I don't think Halle Berry did a single fight scene herself. Everything was CGI, a fact that left me disappointed after Spider Man as well. I want to see the actor WORK for their millions of dollars, is that so much to ask? Disappointing fight scenes.

Fourth, the script. Was there a script? Was there a screenwriter? If so, he/she should be shot as well. We know it's a movie about a catwoman, but does she really need to say "purrrfect"? Come on now. And then asking a question and before the guy can answer grabbing his tongue and saying "cat got your tongue?" Please!

I urge you, do not see this movie. If you do, you will be severely disappointed by some tried and true actors. Why is it that whenever an actress wins an Oscar she has to go on and do a HORRIBLE action movie?!

The only thing that was slightly interesting was the whole "Catwoman Legacy" about past women who have inherited the helm and gone on the fight crime, save the world, etc. A nice touch, but the movie is as a whole unwatchable and I really hope Halle does something a little better in her next film.

I must say that this work of cinema is nothing short of brilliance, but I also must say I am somewhat . . . disappointed. Though the movie does beautifully bring to life the characters, places and story of Tolkien, I cannot say that I am 100% satisfied with it. I feel, as a whole, the film is much, much darker than the books themselves. Honestly, what film has ever been made that is better than the book? It's simply not possible -- the image in ours minds will never transpose to the screen, I don't care how far technology has brought us. I feel director Jackson's vision of the books is not completely what Tolkien envisioned. The first novel, however perilous, was not as dark as the film came to be. There is a very gradual build in the books, and truly all three should be read as one novel. I feel the film jumps too quickly into the thrills and fights and narrow escapes. About one third of the first book of the trilogy is, (to some), painfully descriptive and slow to action, but I feel that was Tolkien's intention to make all the coming action all the more exciting when the reader gets there. Jackson jumps too quickly into it, I feel.

On the other hand, I DO agree with some of Jackson's choices. I completely agree with his choice to make Arwen (Liv Tyler) a larger player in the activities -- in the books she mostly remains in the background. Also, touching on Aragorn (Viggo Mortensen) and Arwen's love story was also a good choice. But, most of all, I DON'T agree with Jackson's vision of Lothlorien. In the film, it was a dark place, however good it is supposed to be, and Galadriel seems too distant and even malicious in the film. In the book, Lorien was much brighter and happier, and Galadriel was wiser and more of a character. Though Cate Blanchett plays her beautifully, I feel her character is too, for lack of a better word, creepy. The same goes for Rivendell -- there is not enough happiness in either place. As an audience member in the movie theater, I don't feel like there are many things in Middle Earth worth saving! All in all, I feel the movie is darker than what Tolkien saw.

In closing, I would say I am content, as it is a beautiful piece of cinema, but not satisfied with the film, with my knowledge of the books.