When the first look at Anne Hathaway’s Catwoman costume debuted online last week, the one thing I didn’t expect to see was nerd rage over Selina Kyle’s ears. And yet, over the course of the day, and the next day, and the next day, and the next, commenters here and around the web couldn’t seem to let it go.
Cat ears? Really? Of all the things that one could pick at from two photos, which may or may not represent the full Catwoman costume, you chose to get in a nerd tizzy over the woman’s ears?
Here are a few representative comments from here and around the web demonstrating Internet’s nerd contingent’s OUTRAGE. It has certainly been instructive.
Ears? COME ON.
No ears? She could pass for a seal in that.
I seriously hope this is some early stage of Catwoman since she is without those pointy ears in that full-on costume or else Nolan put a pair of those RIGHT NOW. If Batman can look a Bat then Nolan should have no problem what-so-ever with Catwoman looking like a Cat.
Why is she even called catwoman if she doesn’t have cat ears. It may sound silly at first, but when ya think about it almost every villain is named off their appearance (scarecrow, joker, two-face, catwoman, ect.). You might as well call her goggle girl because there is nothing about this costume that says cat-like. Actually you could have told me these were pictures of bat-girl and I would have believed you.
Ummmmmm that’s not Catwoman. I mean if she doesn’t have the ears like Batman then what’s the point of calling her that. From the images she just looks like any old I guess cat burgaler…..Hell Scarlet Johanson looks more like Catwoman while playing the Black Widow.
So no pointy ears or any feline quality to her outfit??? Hathaway better bring and awesome feline attitude and manners! Otherwise this will be a complete failure!
please don’t let that be her FULL and final costume. Would it be so unrealistic to add some cat ears on there somewhere? Come on Nolan!
If you look closely, you can see some kind of visor type things above each of the goggles. I wonder if these will look like cat’s ears when she pulls them onto the top of her head.
I agree that she aint Catwoman unless she has Cat Ears. If Nolan is hellbent on keeping with the realism, he could explain the cat ears like he explained the bat “ears” in Begins…they house some sort of radio listening device.
If she does steal the Batpod, maybe she steals some of Bruce’s ears/receivers as well and uses those? Bruce did order a few thousand in BB. “At least we’ll have spares.” She could just attach them to a different cowl.
I just hope that’s part of her get-up and she gets a cowl or some Batman style audio-enhancement ears. Wouldn’t be too happy on a Catwoman without ears.
Those goggles will get pushed up on her head when not in use and, thanks to the pointy styling of the frames that you can see here, will resemble cat ears thus making the costume more like the current comics and Catwoman we all know and love.
How is Catwoman having cat ears stupid, but Batman having bat ears, a cape, and throwing stars in the shape of bats not? I know that Nolan wants to keep everything based in reality, as do the fans, but having Catwoman dress as a cat is not a big stretch. This could very well be a prototype suit she wears as a burglar, and later out of spite for Batman she decides to mock him by making a Catwoman outfit. It wouldn’t be stupid or unrealistic. If the Joker can have scars and clown make up, Catwoman can have cat ears. Hell, Bane wears a mask which I’m sure has a reason. It seems straight forward now, but when we find out WHY he wears a mask it will be a stretch I’m sure. Which is perfectly fine. Keep in mind that the Nolan realm of Batman has never been based purely in reality, it’s been based in plausability. So far only the gadgets have been almost pure reality. They all have some sort of real background. The characters themselves…not so much. And thank goodness for that. If Batman were truly based in reality he’d just be a guy who bitched about the corruption of Gotham on the internet while eating Cheetos.
______
You know what’s wrong with too many comic-book movies? The filmmakers try too hard to satisfy the comic-book pedants at the expense of the film. Indeed, the movie and television world has seen five Catwomen in the past, and while we can agree that they all fill out a leather catsuit nicely, can’t we also agree that none of the five would suitably fit into Nolan’s universe?
Why? Well, because those ears look ridiculous.
Christopher Nolan: Trust, y’all.
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You know what’s wrong with too many comic-book movies? The filmmakers try too hard to satisfy the comic-book pedants at the expense of the film.
I'm curious about which movies you're referring to here. Watchmen maybe, which was slavishly devoted to reproducing the look over the story of the comic. There's plenty of shitty comic movie adaptations, but I don't think pedantry to fanboys is what sinks them.
Posted by: The Wandering Parakeet at August 9, 2011 11:47 AM
those ears look ridiculous
but Batman's are just right?
Posted by: mswas at August 9, 2011 11:58 AM
my trouble is not ears or not? but Anne Hathaway's lack of bitchyness
Posted by: carrie at August 9, 2011 11:59 AM
I'm surprised this hasn't been asked before- maybe in this real-world flavored universe Selena Kyle isn't Catwoman. I seem to recall Hathaway saying she was playing Kyle- not her alter ego. I think people thought it was just her origin story But maybe she's just an athletic cat-burglar with no gimmick and therefore no need for ears, claws, or cat-o-nine-tails bullwhip. Maybe like the Joker before her, Kyle's origin is either altered or even passed over.
Which brings up other silly questions...
Would she adopt the Catwoman persona at the end of the movie? Would she become an ally, partner, adversary or other? Would she become something more like Batwoman? Or dare I specualte, Robin? NAAAHHHHHHH. Or maybe it's none of the above and Nolan is just setting us all up with a smokescreen that actually means nothing to the finished product? Maybe he and his crew are giggling themselves stupid at all the speculations posted saying, "Nope! You'll never see it coming!"
Posted by: bleujayone at August 9, 2011 12:06 PM
This thread gives me chest pain.
Posted by: ZombieMedic at August 9, 2011 12:12 PM
Maybe our problem is that this look is downright fucking stupid.
I'll agree that it's too early to tell how Catwoman will ultimately look, but have you noted how there's been little complaining as to how we're seeing Bane? Does he look like a Mexican wrestler as has often been interpreted? No, but we still know that it's Bane because the iconic pieces of the character (mask, bald, large) are visible. The combat-oriented look fits.
What's disturbing about this Catwoman is beyond the ears. It's a perceived slight of the characters physical appearance, which changes often but has a standard. There's no sex appeal, no provocative confidence. What's missing are the characteristics that allow us to look at a shot and instinctively know "THAT is Catwoman".
Comparing this Selina to past ones is not productive; instead, why don't you do a simple image search to any of the comic-book interpretations? There's plenty of looks that would easily fit into the Nolanverse, including full body catsuits that eschew traditionally impossible aspects like stilettos and party-store cat ears.
Picking at knee-jerk reactions from commenters, especially those who are jamming away at work with little time for structured arguments, is short-sighted. It is akin to finding one line in a 1,500-word review/article that you don't like and condemning the entire piece.
It is definitely too early to determine whether or not this is the actual Catwoman we're going to see next year. But for crissakes, we're NERDS! THIS IS WHAT WE DO! No one is really sitting at home/work on the internet and making the decision not to see this movie because of one or two production stills (and if they are call them out on their bullshit).
Hell, maybe bluejayone is right and there is no Catwoman!
Posted by: D-Day at August 9, 2011 12:14 PM
Batman Begins was a great movie. Dark Knight was an amazing movie. In both cases, Nolan selectively embraced and reinterpreted the Batman mythos to create a grounded and more believable story while keeping the heart and soul of the comic books alive. Cat ears or no cat ears, I trust Nolan. I think he knows what he's doing. If he wants to get rid of the cat ears, what the hell do I care? He changed the Joker in the last movie, so it makes sense he'd tweak Catwoman. He's reinterpreting the comic books to tell new stories. And considering how awesomely that's turned out so far, I think he deserves a little faith.
Posted by: Sassafrass Green at August 9, 2011 12:15 PM
Thou shalt not besmirch the good names of Julie Newmar, Eartha Kitt, or Lee Meriwether by comparing their Catwomen to Latex Pfeiffer and Stripper Berry, Dustin. How dare you, sir. How. Dare. You.
Otherwise, I'm growing more and more accustomed to Anne Hathaway's look in those shots. Maybe she's Catwoman, maybe she's just Selina Kyle -- the real point is: She steals the gorram Batpod. That is awesomesauce.
I'm not certain how you expect to get any of that from a shot of her riding a motorcycle D-Day. Look up some stills of Trinity riding motorcycles in the Matrix movies. Do any of those invoke the sexy, provocative confidence that Trinity and Selina Kyle share? Actually, I'd say they pretty much look like this.
I think a lot of this still stems from the fact that most people don't like the casting choice. But take for example the Halle Berry movie. She's sexy confident and provocative, but that movie was crap. Obviously there's a lot more that goes into establishing the character than just the actress and the costume she wears.
In short, I agree with Sassafrass. I trust Nolan with the Batman characters, and it's going to take a lot more than some production still with very little to tell to get me complaining.
Posted by: Socrates_Johnson at August 9, 2011 12:32 PM
But pointless speculation and nitpickery are the lifeblood of the pedant. I'd love it if this were the Schumacher version, and pictures surfaced of the Batnipples.
Asinine nerdrage is the leading cause of losing sight of the forest for the trees.
Posted by: branded at August 9, 2011 12:32 PM
Plus this doesn't answer the most pertinent questions. Cat eyes and karate across the screen, does she do them?
Posted by: Socrates_Johnson at August 9, 2011 12:34 PM
What's disturbing about this Catwoman is beyond the ears. It's a perceived slight of the characters physical appearance, which changes often but has a standard. There's no sex appeal, no provocative confidence. What's missing are the characteristics that allow us to look at a shot and instinctively know "THAT is Catwoman".
What are you talking about? You really must be perceiving things here. I suppose you are technically correct. The one image we have of Anne Hathaway in a prone position* and a few others of what I believe to be a stunt-woman don't show those things. However, this is everything we have at this point. Aren't you jumping to conclusions here? And I'm fairly certain that the only way one can look at an image and know "THAT is Catwoman" is if she has cat ears.
And anyone who thinks Anne Hathaway can't pull of sexy is a fool. I should know, I've seen her boobies.
* - OK, you have a point. Perhaps that should project sex appeal.
Posted by: pissant at August 9, 2011 12:45 PM
I was really only speculating, Socrates. I've been running around yakking about "Faith in Nolan" for a long time.
In fact, I'd speculate that *SPOILER THEORY* the two shots are related, in that when Bruce is busy fighting Bane outside on those court steps, maybe Selina is inside the building stealing/using the Batpod and just doesn't bother "costuming up".
Casting concerns? Def valid. The last time I saw Hathaway trying to play damaged was Havoc, and I'm pretty sure she sucked, but I could've been blindsided by her boobs. But Nolan's only "screw-ups" were Katie Holmes (which reeked of studio push) and Eric Roberts' accent ("He made yoo like dis").
Posted by: D-Day at August 9, 2011 12:48 PM
I think a lot of this still stems from the fact that most people don't like the casting choice.
This! Eva Green and a slightly modified version of bitchy Vesper wud have been oh! so amazing.
Hathaway is too goody two shoes and pale for me. Sori.
If you look closely, you can see some kind of visor type things above each of the goggles. I wonder if these will look like cat’s ears when she pulls them onto the top of her head.
Those goggles will get pushed up on her head when not in use and, thanks to the pointy styling of the frames that you can see here, will resemble cat ears thus making the costume more like the current comics and Catwoman we all know anlove.
Love this angle but the guards are not going to see Catwoman unless she has her goggles up when she's taffering about.
And shud she reveal her identity to Bats when she's seducing him with her goggles up, the only ppl who are going to recognize her as Catwoman is us, the audience. Wud dat be enough or must everyone in Gotham call her Catwoman for us nerds to be happy?
I want the latter to happen.
And oh, fuck Halle Berry.
Posted by: haplo at August 9, 2011 12:58 PM
RABBLE RABBLE RABBLE!
Posted by: admin at August 9, 2011 1:28 PM
Batpod's got no turn signals! HOW CAN THIS BE CALLED REALISTIC!!!!!
It's the same argument, right?
Posted by: Mrcreosote at August 9, 2011 2:04 PM
Ears? She's riding a motorcycle with machine guns strapped to the front and she's not wearing a helmet. Ears are the least of her problems.
Posted by: BWeaves at August 9, 2011 2:14 PM
haplo says: "And oh, fuck Halle Berry."
i say: "my pleasure!"
Posted by: Mike at August 9, 2011 2:30 PM
Wouldn’t be too happy on a Catwoman without ears.
I'd be perfectly happy on Catwoman, regardless of her ears.
"Asinine nerdrage is the leading cause of losing sight of the forest for the trees."
Is that a quote from Sarah Palin?
Posted by: Pat C. at August 9, 2011 2:56 PM
Ears or now ears, Hathaway seems to be proving herself a threat to almost everyone and everything on the set. There's a video of her taking out an IMAX camera, and almost a cameraman too.
(It could be her stunt double, but Hathaway has proven to be such a menace to TDKR already that I think it's only safe to assume it really is her.)
Posted by: csb at August 9, 2011 3:08 PM
GOD, YOU'RE ANNOYING.
Posted by: gp at August 9, 2011 3:16 PM
Whatevs, gp. You're just upset Anne won't share that outfit with you.
Posted by: Kballs at August 9, 2011 3:26 PM
I swear, I just had this convesation yesterday.
Posted by: daria at August 9, 2011 3:50 PM
One, there is only one Catwoman. Her name is Eartha Kitt and she could purr me to sleep any night of the week.
Two, Anne Hathaway was cast as Selina Kyle. Selena Kyle isn't necessarily Catwoman in this scene. She might not even become Catwoman in the film. Did the Internet flip out because Harvey Dent was only leaked as Harvey Dent, not Two Face? Fuck. It did, didn't it? Son of a mother.
Ears or now ears, Hathaway seems to be proving herself a threat to almost everyone and everything on the set. There's a video of her taking out an IMAX camera, and almost a cameraman too.
judging by her Oscars gig, i'm surprised she hasn't sent some poor stunt guy/girl person into the ICU yet.
Posted by: haplo at August 9, 2011 4:39 PM
I'll be interested to see how Nolan's Catwoman origin story goes. If this is the gritty, realistic version of Batman, then she probably won't be dying and resurrected by the licking of a bunch of alley cats.
Posted by: DarthCorleone at August 9, 2011 5:29 PM
I'll wait and see. I'll say this though...when it comes to Batman, at this point I trust Christopher Nolan a hell of a lot more than I trust you fucks.
Buncha damn little old ladies.
Posted by: Smokin at August 9, 2011 7:54 PM
HA! you tell em, baby.
Posted by: gp at August 9, 2011 8:20 PM
When the first pic of her was shown last week my initial reaction was "Wow! She looks ridiculous." I never even gave a thought to her lack of ears... I was more concerned about whatever the fuck that mardi gras mask thing is she's wearing on her face... Is that realistic? She could have a simple Catwoman costume such as in the original Batman the Animated Series (before they changed all the character designs). Or she could be in just a catsuit with a hood on, no hood, goggles or not. I don't care if the wardrobe people mistakenly made her look like Black Cat from Spider-man.... But I really hope she looks less ridiculous at some point in the marketing campaign that will be upon us soon. Take a note from the GL crappy costume plastered all over everything... even NOW!
And no, I have been criticizing how Bane looks far more. His mask also looks ridiculous, and I have no idea how much of his character backstory and abilities will translate to this universe of Batman. I'm not asking for him to be a carbon copy of the comics or the animated series. Alls I'm sayin' is the animated series is a great blueprint. I never saw Batman & Robin, so I never saw that iteration of Bane (its the only Batman property I have gone out of my way to avoid) but I doubt anything positive could have come from that polished turd (with the exception of that excellent Smashing Pumpkins song later used for the Watchmen trailer).
I'll be there for the midnight release, looking forward to it, thus far my only real complaint of the series is how Christian Bale sounds as Batman. I've been an avid Batman fanatic for a long time, I have DVDs of pretty much everything and tons of the graphic novels and hundreds of Detective Comics and Batman comics, and you can't get much more Batman fanboy than me... and I ain't bitchin' about a lack of ears. Though I could have hoped for someone other than Anne Hathaway (she just doesn't do it for me).
Posted by: protoformX at August 9, 2011 9:11 PM
Maybe Nolan is going for more of a cat burglar-like style than an actual cat style?
Posted by: Matthijs at August 10, 2011 3:34 AM
Sorry but Michelle Pfieffer was SMOKING HOTT as Catwoman, ears and all
Posted by: kidtiger at August 10, 2011 3:50 PM
I'm definitely in the camp of "Why call her 'Catwoman' if she doesn't look like a goddamn motherfucking cat?" Seriously. If you see me with an oversized bag, I'm a "bag lady"; if I'm in the company of too many cats, I'm a "cat lady." Comics are faithful in this regard. Batman looks like a bat, ergo he's Bat-Man; The Flash is gone in, hold on for it, a flash; Storm conjures storms, Rogue did just what her name implies, Iceman's powers are in his name, the Silver Surfer is a SILVER DUDE ON A SILVER SURFBOARD AND HIS NAME'S NOT BOB.
I need my smelling salts. I'm not even over the fact that my favorite villainess is played by Manic Lips McGee. Seriously. She and Julia Roberts should host a Pay-Per-View, because there can be only pair of honkin' lips in Hollywood.
Posted by: duckandcover at August 11, 2011 4:55 AM
i love selina kyle
Posted by: dallas daniel hessler junior at August 14, 2011 12:53 PM
I see people mentioning the joker in the character sense... people saying that the origin/look were changed. Meh. You are missing the REAL comparison.
Every body was pissed. No one wanted Heath. He was a purdy boy. When the announcement came, he had never done anything of this magnitude. (Brokeback was not out yet, it was an amazing performance but all we knew then was his next release was a gay cowboy movie.) Everybody wanted Mark Hamill/Chrispen Glover. The internets shouted in their nerd rage that Heath was to young, to nice, too pretty, not right. When the first trailer came out, and they saw they were wrong?
*nerdgasm*
I think I remember reading the phrase “I just came” a million times. So, really, just STFU and wait. If it sucks, I will bitch right along with you.
Posted by: Theresa at August 17, 2011 4:47 PM
I see Noel Gallagher, the sensible, song-writing one, is suing Liam Gallagher, the obnoxious drunk one that sings. Something about being too sozzled to perform (onstage, dearies) - in 2009! Nothing like holding a grudge then eh? I'd always considered Liam was the sensible one, he won't be regarded as that for very long if he keeps nonsense like this up. Jeez, they're no more than big kids, the both of them.
Posted by: London Nanny at August 20, 2011 8:49 PM
What A bike
Man
Posted by: Abhijeet at August 31, 2011 9:37 AM
No way she looks like a GI-Joe
A catwoman must look like a catwoman.
It is like a bunny without ears. A cowboy without hat.
holly molly batman she don't look like catwoman
wot r we gunna do
cummon guy realy
i mean think about it 4 a second...
i dont look like d hulk, i'm not oversized, green or ugly
but wen i get d shits wot do u think they call me. ?
she's a cat burglar, she has cats as pals as buddys
wot do u think we should call her?
uhhhh mmmmmm "cat" woman derrrr i think
anywayz as long as she looks sexeee. thats all that matters rite?
besides sik bike & i expect a lot of action aswell or at least i'm hoping 4 d best
Posted by: loc at September 2, 2011 4:03 AM
I visited a lot of website but I conceive this one has got something extra in it in it
You know what’s wrong with too many comic-book movies? The filmmakers try too hard to satisfy the comic-book pedants at the expense of the film.
I'm curious about which movies you're referring to here. Watchmen maybe, which was slavishly devoted to reproducing the look over the story of the comic. There's plenty of shitty comic movie adaptations, but I don't think pedantry to fanboys is what sinks them.