'Catwoman' delivers thrills without plot

Pretty much every superhero movie these days follows a set plot line. A shy and/or geeky person wants something more out of life. A freak accident happens. Then poof! The person's DNA is mutated, causing them to be able to kick ass and look amazing in spandex. (When or where can I become the mutated "victim" of a freak accident!?) But, oh no, our superhero is outcast by society! The superhero broods for about 10 minutes and then continues to save the world, culminating in a huge battle against the bad guy, while still looking marvelous. The end. Is it time for a sequel yet?\n"Catwoman," starring the stunningly sexy Halle Berry, doesn't deviate from this preordained path of superhero success -- and it really doesn't need to. Our heroine is the shy advertising agent Patience Phillips. After she's killed by the Hedares (Sharon Stone and Lambert Wilson), owners of the beauty company at which she works -- for overhearing information about the toxic effects of their new anti-aging cream -- a cat resurrects Patience as Catwoman -- a woman that (surprise!) acts an awful lot like a cat -- a stripper cat. She always lands on her feet. She sucks down tuna and sushi like it's going out of style. Her favorite drink is a White Russian without vodka or Kahlua. She wears a barely-there leather outfit, which includes gratuitous amounts of cleavage, and she carries a whip. \nAnyway, Catwoman soon finds herself an outcast from society, which is understandable, considering that she stole some expensive jewelry on her first night on the prowl (although, she returned most of it the next day). She broods, alone, on the top of a tall building (bringing to mind shots of Peter Parker doing the exact same thing in "Spider-Man") before deciding that she will attempt to bring down the evil organization. The movie culminates in a wonderful catfight (har!) between Catwoman and Laurel Hedare (delightfully overacted by Stone). \nAdmittedly, this movie has virtually no plot. If you're looking for something that requires any shred of brainpower, "Catwoman" is definitely not the film for you. But, as far as pure entertainment value goes, you just about can't go wrong with Berry in a leather dominatrix outfit beating up on everyone that gets in her way, up to and including Stone. Every man's fantasy, I'm sure, is to be in the vicinity of that battle. And what woman doesn't want to be able to look as hot and kick as much butt as Halle does? Is it a thought-provoking movie? No. But as a guilty pleasure, it's purrrrrrr-fect!