Catwoman: Hunted shares a lot with last year’s Batman: Soul Of The Dragon in that they are both wild swings from the DC Animated division. Just like Soul Of The Dragon, Catwoman: Hunted succeeds. It offers a breezy, jaunty tale full of energy.
And it works.
After it’s jazzy opening theme, Hunted begins with Selina Kyle sneaking into a party to steal a priceless gem. This attempted theft finds her in the crosshairs of the criminal organization, Leviathan.
Headed by Barbara Minerva and with assistance from Black Mask and Tobias Whale, Catwoman is on the run. But this brings her to Batwoman, along with Julia Pennyworth and King Faraday.
Together, they aim to take down Leviathan with the promise of Selina Kyle getting a clean record.
The voice work here provides both action and comedy.
Batwoman and Catwoman have a lot of chemistry, provided by a script that’s funny and tense. Elizabeth Gillies’ Catwoman is deft and smooth. While Stephanie Beatriz, draws more from her Brooklyn Nine-Nine days than she draws from Encanto’s Mirabel. Kirby Howell-Baptiste is having a lot of fun hamming it up as Cheetah, and I hope she’s given an opportunity to revise this role.
One of the oddities of these DC animated films has been the pacing.
With either stories being rushed to go under the 90 minute mark, or overly bloated and split into two films. Catwoman: Hunted has a plot that moves quickly, jumping from location to location. But it offers the characters moments to banter off each other. This movie finds the right balance in making an exciting movie without rushing character moments.
Catwoman: Hunted is a stylish blast of fresh air.
Grade: B+
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