In the all-new original Catwoman: Hunted, Catwoman’s attempt to steal a priceless jewel puts her squarely in the crosshairs of both a powerful consortium of villains and the ever-resourceful Interpol, not to mention Batwoman. It might just be enough to contain her. Or not.
For thoughts on Catwoman: Hunted, please check out our discussion on The Video Attic here.
Video Quality
Catwoman: Hunted comes to 4K UHD Blu-Ray with a 2160p transfer that is incredibly bold with an amazing amount of depth. This disc provides some noticeable improvements over the Blu-Ray in certain areas including more vivid, natural colors and the elimination of any digital artifacting. While this is the Batman universe, which does lend itself to a shadowy color palette, this lead character brings about a sense of fun which the production design and costumes imitate. This feature is quite a bit more vibrant than the typical Batman film. This presentation handles the subtle gradients of the artwork in a way that is just excellent. This disc provides excellent line detail and more distinct shading, which gives the characters greater definition. The use of HDR yields some very pleasing enhancements to the dynamic colors on display such as in the costumes or explosions, and the disc provides much deeper black levels for a cleaner viewing experience free of black crush. The Blu-Ray disc looks great, but those with a proper display will likely find the 4K UHD Blu-Ray a more enjoyable experience.
Audio Quality
This release boasts a DTS-HD 5.1 Master Audio track that really digs deep and impresses during this sporadically action-packed film. There is an immense amount of activity in the low-end which will cause your subwoofer to get a thorough workout throughout this presentation, especially the climactic confrontations. Dialogue is often accompanied by a jazzy score from Yutaka Yamada or all manner of sound effects, but all of the information comes through clearly without getting muddied. The track engages all of the channels with panning effects and sounds of hand-to-hand combat and a few chase sequences that really transports you to the middle of the action. There are no obvious sync issues or other anomalies present. Warner Bros. has delivered an incredibly strong track that showcases the impressive sound design of their DCAU films.
Special Features
- When The Hunter Becomes The Hunted: A 19-minute featurette which explores the appeal and complexity of Catwoman, her extensive rogues’ gallery, how she exists with and outside of Batman, why the character fits with noir so easily, her physicality, the “Robin Hood angle” of the character, her backstory, her penchant to be underestimated by her foes and more. There are some great insights from writer Jeph Loeb, writer James Tynion IV, executive producer Michael Uslan, writer/artist Joëlle Jones, writer Greg Weisman, producer Ethan Spaulding, and casting/voice director Jamie Thomason.
- Catwoman – The Feline Femme Fatale: A fantastic 40-minute documentary which thoroughly explores the history of Catwoman, the evolution of her appearance, her depiction in various mediums, the complexity of the character, the draw she has for actors to portray her and much more. There are some great archival interviews stitched together here including Batman Returns producer Michael Uslan, creator Bob Kane, painter Alex Ross, writer Jeph Loeb, former DC president Paul Levitz, actress Eartha Kitt, author Suzan Colón, writer Frank Miller, former DC co-publisher Dan Didio, actress Julie Newmar, actor Adam West, actress Michelle Pfeiffer, and many more.
Final Thoughts
Catwoman: Hunted marks a very welcome step from the DCAU towards putting a spotlight on women who are not called Wonder Woman. The effort is not the most vital, but it is one that embraces its sleek sense of fun that makes it very transfixing. The vocal performances capture the allure of these characters quite deftly. The narrative does a pretty decent job of balancing the campy criminal qualities of the character along with some more substantive character dynamics. Warner Bros. Home Entertainment has released a 4K UHD Blu-Ray featuring a stellar A/V presentation and a nice pairing of special features. Be a pal and support this release so we can get more unique characters in these animated adventures. Recommended
Catwoman: Hunted is currently available on 4K UHD Blu-Ray, Blu-Ray and Digital.
Note: Images presented in this review are not reflective of the image quality of the 4K UHD Blu-Ray.
Disclaimer: Warner Bros. Home Entertainment has supplied a copy of this disc free of charge for review purposes. All opinions in this review are the honest reactions of the author.
Dillon is most comfortable sitting around in a theatre all day watching both big budget and independent movies.
