20 Things You Didn't Know About Catwoman

The cat that curdled faster than week-old milk still has its point of interest...

Sharon Stone Halle Berry Catwoman
Warner Bros.

There are plenty of things to be missed in the 2004 film Catwoman. This is possibly not surprising as, alongside 1987's Superman IV: The Quest for Peace and 1997's Batman & Robin, it is often cited as one of the worst comic book movies ever made.

Criticised both at the time of its release and now as being ineffective, sloppy, and poorly conceived, this Halle Berry vehicle had spent years in development hell, ever since 1992's Batman Returns.

Pushed to the forefront of Warner Brothers' efforts to rejuvenate the Batman franchise after their original plans for Batman vs. Superman fell through, Catwoman, like Batman & Robin before it, is actually entertaining in its own right if it is viewed in the right perspective.

For all of its faults, there is plenty of amusement to be had in Catwoman (despite her infamous Razzie Awards speech, even Halle Berry had apparently hoped for a sequel to be made for a time) and, even though it is not automatically obvious, it actually portrays some of the lore behind Catwoman, even though Berry was playing a new character named Patience Phillips rather than the traditional Selina Kyle.

Here are 20 things that you may have missed in the film.

20. The Sushi Scene

Unlike many other Catwomen over the years, Halle Berry's Patience Phillips is very clearly established throughout the film as being part human and part cat, having the attributes of both species (the 1960s Batman TV series and Batman Returns had both flirted with this idea, but did not specifically reference it).

One scene in which this is evidenced quite clearly is when Patience has dinner in a sushi restaurant with Benjamin Bratt's Detective Tom Lone. Whilst Lone makes romantic small talk, Patience nimbly munches away at the sushi with all of the dexterity of a feline, much to Lone's surprise.

However, the audience is unaware that the sushi that Patience is chowing down on is actually fruit made to look like sushi! Perhaps someone on the set was not too keen on fish, or the sushi perished very quickly under the hot studio lights...

Contributor

I started writing for WhatCulture in July 2020. I have always enjoyed reading and writing. I have contributed to several short story competitions and I have occasionally been fortunate enough to have my work published. During the COVID-19 lockdown, I also started reviewing films on my Facebook page. Numerous friends and contacts suggested that I should start my own website for reviewing films, but I wanted something a bit more diverse - and so here I am! My interests focus on film and television mainly, but I also occasionally produce articles that venture into other areas as well. In particular, I am a fan of the under appreciated sequel (of which there are many), but I also like the classics and the mainstream too.