Last week, Catwoman: Hunted made its debut onto the small screen, treating fans to the first ever animated Catwoman-focused romp. With the film being described as being Young Justice-adjacent (meaning, a version of the events in the movie have taken place on Earth-16), we were extremely excited to meet this version of Catwoman, who hasn’t yet appeared on-screen in Earth-16.
Catwoman: Hunted, directed by Shinsuke Terasawa and written by Greg Weisman, centers around the alluring Selina Kyle (Elizabeth Gilles) on her mission to steal the priceless Cat’s Eye emerald. On this mission, she faces off against several members of Leviathan, including its leader, Barbara Minerva (Kirby Howell-Baptiste), as well as Black Mask (Jonathan Banks) , Tobias Whale (Keith David), and their cohorts. Lucky for her, Catwoman isn’t alone, as she’s joined by Batwoman (Stephanie Beatriz) in a very entertaining team up. This movie is jam packed with little cameos and characters from the DC Universe, as well as a few Young Justice Easter eggs for those keeping their eyes and ears peeled.
Beyond the content, this film’s exceptional casting choices and their respective performances truly makes it spectacular. Elizabeth Gillies brings a lively, debonair charm to the role of Selina Kyle, flawlessly capturing the seductive charisma and sardonic wit of the character. Stephanie Beatriz, who utilizes the same low voice she used as Rosa Diaz in Brooklyn Nine-Nine for the role, was also able to embody the dark, serious nature of Kate Kane, and even delve a little bit into the humanity and vulnerability of the character in certain scenes. Both Gilles and Diaz share incredible charisma and play off one another quite well to the point where if Selina and Kate ever have speaking roles on Young Justice, we’d love for both actors to reprise their roles. In addition to the leads, the supporting cast also does an incredible job. Kelly Hu, reprising her role as Cheshire from Young Justice, brings her A-game to this universe’s interpretation of the fan-favorite character. Zehra Fazal, known for her several roles on Young Justice, returns as Talia Al Ghul and newcomer Nosferata, playing both with her usual charm. There’s much to enjoy about this film, but we wholeheartedly recommend a watch for the voice cast alone.
In regards to the story, we enjoyed how Catwoman: Hunted focuses on characters, particularly the antagonists, who are lesser-known to the public eye. Often on Young Justice, we view the story from the perspective of the heroes, with a minor glimpse at the antagonists when the story calls for it. Catwoman, a character who toes the morally gray line between protagonist and antagonist, is a perfect middle ground and gives a refreshing perspective to the story. As comic book fans, we also enjoyed getting a look at characters we haven’t yet seen, or who only have a minor role on Young Justice, such as Batwoman, Talia Al Ghul, King Faraday, Julia Pennyworth, Nosferata and Cheetah. While the characters depicted here may be a little different than their existing (and potential) Earth-16 counterparts, we enjoyed their depiction here. The film was able to bring these intriguing characters to the attention of many viewers, and we look forward to future sightings of these characters, both in Earth-16 and beyond.
On the whole, Catwoman: Hunted is a fun film with an entertaining team up between Catwoman and Batwoman. There were a few things we thought could be improved upon, but they didn’t detract from our overall enjoyment. In terms of substance, we wish Catwoman’s mission had beared a little more depth and meaning behind it; while we learn that the purpose for stealing the Cat’s Eye Emerald is to provide money for the girls she helped free from Leviathan’s human trafficking operation in Sochi, it feels like more background information rather than serving a true purpose. We would have loved to see the Sochi mission beyond the opening credits sequence, as it would have provided both excellent motivation and explanation for Catwoman’s character. Additionally, we weren’t big fans of the scene between Selina and Kate; while we felt like the intentions were good, in execution, it felt a little too tropey and we wish that if the film intended to tease the potential of Selina and Kate, that it was done with less of a ‘bait and switch’.
If you’re a fan of Catwoman, we wholly recommend watching Catwoman: Hunted. The movie is funny, entertaining, and a great showcase for several characters that don’t usually get the spotlight in the DC Universe. Catwoman: Hunted is available for purchase on DVD and Digital today.
Written by Ariel Horn and Connor Davenport
