When poor, solitary, unappreciated Selina comes home from another lousy day at work, she switches on the neon sign by her door: HELLO THERE, it reads. Then she transforms into the sexy, snarky, immensely powerful Catwoman, and a couple of letters short on the sign, which now reads HELL HERE. That, in a phrase, is the difference between the drab, disenfranchised majority and the unleashed supervillain. In Tim Burton’s marvelous comic-book fantasy, Catwoman has an underworld ally in the Penguin (Danny DeVito) but is drawn to an impossible romance with stalwart Bruce Wayne (Michael Keaton). It can’t be, of course; she’s too malevolent for him, and way too complicated. Pfeiffer is superb in the role, simultaneously catty and caring, erotic and poignant. A perfect scratch-and-match.
