It may have been Batman’s return to the big screen, but Zoe Kravitz as Catwoman stole the show.
Spoilers ahead, so beware if you have yet to see the film.
Although Robert Pattinson delivered a stellar performance as the titular character, fans are raving about Kravit’s performance as Selina Kyle (Catwoman), the cat burglar who teams up with our favorite hero to save Gotham.
One of the most important factors impacting her character in the newest iteration of the iconic franchise is Catwoman’s near-equal presence and importance to Batman himself. In the past, Catwoman’s character has been treated as a secondary character, with motivations more similar to that of a villain.
In this film, Kravit’s portrayal of Catwoman has her working alongside Batman. First, he catches her in the act of breaking into the Mayor’s home to retrieve her roommate Annika’s passport. This is our first glimpse of Catwoman’s emotional ties and motivations, as she reluctantly agrees to help Batman, but only in order to save her friend. It’s obvious that she looks out for her own interests first and foremost, but the genuine concern for her friend helps the audience sympathize and connect with the character.
Their partnership is further solidified when Selina agrees to act as Bruce’s spy, entering Penguin’s secret club where Gotham’s powerful elite mingle with the criminal underground. Throughout the mission, she’s on edge and scared. Rather than keeping Catwoman as a hardened, emotionless and self-important character, this film allows her to be vulnerable. Although she aborts the mission to protect herself, she provides Bruce with valuable information that helps him solve The Riddler’s mystery puzzles.
This Catwoman is less of a flat, one-dimensional side character, and more of a powerful and dynamic co-lead who influences the plot as much as Batman.
Another reason fans are loving this new Catwoman?
She leans into the femininity of her character. The push and pull of Batman’s archetypal masculine character, with all of the aggression, force and wealth he carries, with the softer, graceful power which Catwoman carries frames their relationship. The budding romance between the two seems to flow naturally from this contrast.
This can even be seen in their movements on screen. Batman clunkily stomps into frame, standing ominously still and moving with purpose, avoiding others. Catwoman on the other hand seems to slink in and out of every frame, with the elongated movements of a cat.
The last point where Catwoman steals the show is in the reveal of her backstory. Despite this film taking us back to the beginning, it doesn’t provide the origin story for this iteration of Bruce Wayne. It leaves holes where (hopefully), the future movies in the franchise will come back to fill it in. Instead, we get a more vulnerable and full history of Selina Kyle, including when she reveals the truth of her parents to Batman. In this scene, she calls out the elitism and privilege of Gotham’s wealthy and powerful residents, giving an emotional plea and motivation to why she acts as a cat burglar and cares for other members of the lower class struggling to survive amidst the corruption and crime running rampant in the city. She represents the very people Batman so mightily claims to fight for.
We can’t wait to see more of this dynamic duo return to the screen.
