Catwoman: Hunted Review

 

    DC in the animated realm is just about as good as it is in its original medium of comics. The new Batman film starring Robert Pattison is coming out in less than a month and we have one other Batman related film to watch before then, Catwoman: Hunted. Catwoman: Hunted stars Elizabeth Gillies, Stephanie Beatriz, Lauren Cohan, and Kirby Howell-Baptiste. This film takes a new animation direction with anime veteran Shinsuske Terasawa at the helm. This isn't the first time a DC property has gotten the anime treatment.  In 2009 Gotham Knights came out and featured anime styles in the film and I think that is the most recent in memory. The anime influence is apparent as soon as the opening credits with music and visuals reminiscent of the lauded Cowboy Bebop which Terasawa had a hand in making.

The animation in Hunted is also pretty cool. It does a great job at instilling motion and emotion. The fight scene at the beginning of the film and at the end are particularly cool. One thing I say doesn't work quite as well is the use of cg in the production. The cat's eye looks fine but there were a couple of other instances like in the car chase scene where it stood out and didn't blend well, but it's not a big deal. Overall, the animation was good.

As far as the story goes Catwoman: Hunted has Selina Kyle rob a masquerade ball when she's caught by Batwoman and Interpol and is thrust into an international criminal conflict. The premise is simple and the story doesn't delve that deep, but it's still a fun ride for the action and character interactions. There was one particular scene with Catwoman and Batwoman that I found particularly hilarious. Also, I would be remised if I didn't mention the voice acting in this. Although this is an anime film, I was taken aback initially by the voice acting. It does have a lot of anime voice acting quality in it. I think only anime fans would know what I mean by that. It came off as off-putting for me at first and I was scrambling to find the Japanese audio, which this film surprisingly does not have. Actors like Keith David and Kelly Hu who voiced Chesire in Young Justice do great jobs and offset some of the more anime-like voice acting, but it took me a little while to get used to the others and by the end I wasn't even thinking about it. I still think it's a missed opportunity to not have a sub for this movie.

Still, I feel that everyone should give Catwoman: Hunted a try. It's one of the most fun DC animated movies in recent memory. It also comes with a couple bonus features one of which delves into Catwoman's history in comics and media. See you next time for another Batman movie come March.