Yes, The Batman's Catwoman Finally Outdoes Burton's Version
The Batman brought a new look to the DC's caped crusader but a large portion of the movie's success around the world can be attributed to Zoe Kravitz's Catwoman. Kravitz's take on Catwoman, alongside Robert Pattinson's Batman, is arguably the best live-action portrayal the character has ever received, even better than the classic Burton rendition. This is no small feat to accomplish. Despite the character receiving two live-action film iterations since Burton's Batman Returns, the version of the character portrayed by Michelle Pfeiffer in Batman Returns is considered by many to be the gold standard. Yet The Batman manages to give audiences a Catwoman that certainly holds up.
Introduced as "The Cat" in Batman #1 (1940), Catwoman is an integral part of the Batman mythos. Bill Cane and Bob Finger hoped Catwoman would give the comic some sex appeal while also giving female readers perhaps not a role model but a figure of empowerment. Since then, Catwoman's complicated moral compass and relationship with the Dark Knight continues to captivate readers to this day. This also means she has a storied relationship with film and is the only Batman antagonist aside from the Joker and the Penguin to appear in three separate standalone Batman film eras to date. Julie Newmar, Lee Meriwether, and Eartha Kitt all portrayed Catwoman during the lighthearted 1960s Batman era alongside Adam West. Michelle Pfeiffer brought a darker, morally complex character to life in the Burton era. More recently, Anne Hathaway provided a more grounded portrayal of the character in The Dark Knight Rises. A standalone 2004 Catwoman film starring Halle Berry was produced but not well received.
The Batman approaches Catwoman in a way that's both different and familiar. This ability to choose what aspects to keep and what aspects to deviate from allowed Matt Reeves and Zoe Kravitz to avoid the pitfalls of older versions. As a result, the relationship between Catwoman and Batman can really be brought to the fore, helping to highlight a core aspect of the character. All of this amounts to Zoe Kravitz's Catwoman being arguably superior to even the lauded Michelle Pfeiffer rendition.
The Burton iteration of Catwoman is far removed from her traditional comic book background and is actually far more in line with some interpretations of another major Batman antagonist, Poison Ivy. There's a duality and uncertainty to Michelle Pfeiffer's portrayal that traditionally isn't a part of the characters as Catwoman is generally rather aware of who she is and comfortable with herself. This timid secretary/executive assistant is "killed" by her crooked boss, only to inexplicably get revived by cats, returning with supposedly a slew of cat-based superpowers, including nine lives (though most of her injuries throughout the film would have likely been non-fatal, so it's difficult to tell) and suddenly uncanny agility and fighting prowess. Pfeiffer's Catwoman is morally complex in that she's struggling against herself for much of the film, but she isn't a cat burglar at all, in perhaps the biggest departure from the original character.
The Catwoman depicted by Anne Hathaway in The Dark Knight Rises returns to the character's roots, in a way. This version of Selina Kyle is, in fact, a thief whose alter ego is simply known as "The Cat" in the film. However, she plays a version of the character who has a much longer history of crime, to the point that she has a record that she's unable to shake off. Keeping clear of this record becomes the primary motivation for this Catwoman throughout the film - a sort of survival instinct. Hathaway's version takes her back to her earlier days, rather than the more modern iterations seen in the comics since the late 80s.
The Batman chooses to take a grounded approach, much like The Dark Knight Rises. However, it chooses to take more beats from the character's modern comic book interpretation. Zoe Kravitz plays a Selina Kyle when she is still fairly early in her career, so early in fact that she hasn't yet taken the Catwoman name. She's a cat burglar but is suggested to have so far only used this skillset to rip off mob bosses despite later stating an appetite for turning it towards what she perceives to be the corrupt elite. While not a sex worker like she'd been when first reimagined in the 80s, The Batman's Selina Kyle works at the Penguin's Iceberg Lounge where she scouts new marks and obtains information. Much of her character is driven by a vengeful streak and she steals as much to spite others as she does to enrich herself.
Nolan's Dark Knight trilogy had an uphill battle introducing Catwoman as a villain, fighting not just against the strong fondness for Michelle Pfeiffer's version, but also the maligned 2004 standalone Catwoman. The end result is something many argue is neither as bad as the latter nor as memorable as the former. This has a lot to do with the character simply feeling like an afterthought in much of the film. This is likely because she was. Behind-the-scenes features reveal that the character was only included because Christopher Nolan's brother insisted he do so. The unfortunate effect of this is a Catwoman whose presence is underwhelming to many, most notably in her relationship to Batman which is often views as a critical part of the character. The knock-on effect of that, however, is the overall shallowness of the ending where the two are seen together.
By contrast, The Batman makes the dynamic between the two characters integral to the film. Zoe Kravitz's Catwoman isn't an antagonist, so much as she's an impulsive and complicating deuteragonist. As a result of this far more significant role in the story, she and Robert Pattinson's Batman interact more and cooperate with one another from an early point in the film, placing Catwoman in the role of an ally for the majority of the film, rather than only in the final act which is more common in the previous Batman versions of Catwoman. This doesn't detract from the complex nature of their relationship as this Catwoman is still very much a criminal and Batman repeatedly has to get in the way of her and her personal vendetta. It likewise makes the ending arguably stronger because it's founded upon the relationship as it was built throughout the movie, which shows the two of them trending in different directions despite being drawn to one another.
Zoe Kravitz's Selina Kyle plays foil to Batman in a way that no Catwoman before has really had the opportunity to. An effort was made to have Catwoman do this in The Dark Knight Rises, but without the ability to really see much of Selina's life outside of the costume and disguises, the effect is weaker. By contrast, The Batman's version of Selina is front and center, seeing as she's yet to really take on the costumed persona. Her life is at the forefront, which means a better job at painting the character as Batman's reflection. It actually begins with characters that aren't Selina at all. It goes as far back as learning about the connection between Thomas Wayne and Carmine Falcone. Once the audience learns that Falcone is, in all likelihood, Selina's father, the picture becomes more evident. Bruce Wayne as Batman and Selina Kyle as Catwoman have a connection that predates either of them and that connection cements their opposing trajectories through life.
One of the major themes of the film is that of wealth and class. The "Haves" and the "Have Nots." Selina's relationship with her father- or more specifically, the lack thereof - results in her being the latter. Bruce is obviously the former but doesn't really care about his wealth or status beyond using it to facilitate his quest for vengeance. This causes Selina to hold the wealthy elite in particularly high contempt, Wayne included, as her mind sees them all as negligent to the problems of the lower class at best, and corrupt to the point of causing those problems at worst. One could argue, however, that she has a point. Bruce arguably "does nothing" with his money, using it rather selfishly in his quest for vengeance, and is never shown to use it for the kind of humanitarian philanthropy that would help people beyond what he could do in the bat suit. That said, his realizing he could do and be more is a major theme of the movie, however, so this makes sense.
These upbringings, however, lead to perhaps the most central way in which the characters are different. Despite (or perhaps because of) her upbringing, Kravitz's Selina is shown to be cynical, but quietly empathetic. This plays directly counter to the righteousness and suppressed fury that Robert Pattinson's Batman displays. It's perhaps most clearly shown in how they relate to people. Bruce pushes people - most notably his loyal comics sidekick, Alfred (Andy Serkis) - away at virtually every turn. Selina, by her own admission, "has a thing about strays." She lets people into her life and holds them dear. While previous versions of Catwoman have demonstrated the character as a rogue with a heart, The Batman's Catwoman exemplifies this aspect of the character the best through the tragic relationship with her friend.
Michelle Pfeiffer's Catwoman is a fan favorite for good reason. Pfeiffer's portrayal is quirky and fun while also having that classic Tim Burton darkness to it and a certain level of tragedy while also being empowering in its own way. The main theme around Michelle Pfeiffer's Catwoman came from her struggle again misogyny. Pfeiffer's rendition of Selina Kyle in Batman Returns was effectively trampled by the men in her life up until the point where her boss tried to kill her, and when she came back, she'd had enough. Pfeiffer's performance brings a lot to Catwoman as a character, especially with her ability to depict the dual nature of Batman Returns version of Selina.
While Michelle Pfeiffer's Catwoman is all of those things, however, it isn't especially complex. While the Batman Returns version of Catwoman deals with a duality in her personality, her motivations are hardly explored, leaving her decision to try to kill Batman with Penguin seeming strange. Likewise, her playing as an antagonist for the majority of the movie means that while Bruce and Selina's relationship is shown throughout, Batman and Catwoman's interactions really rely on fighting and some banter. Even then, because the duality of Bruce is made very little of throughout Batman Returns, the impact of their relationship isn't what it could be. Along with this, Batman Returns never actually explains why Selina Kyle becomes Catwoman at all. It's never made clear how the cats revived her and supposedly gave her nine lives, nor what inspires her to actually become a costumed vigilante in particular.
The Batman not only grounds its portrayal of Catwoman, it also helps to provide the character with a whole new complexity. Zoe Kravitz's Catwoman is already more or less a perfect foil to Robert Pattinson's Batman and they spend a good portion of the movie playing off of one another and strengthening that relationship. Catwoman's motivation is fairly evidently inspired by Batman himself and everything she does has very clear motivations, all stemming back to her abandonment by her father and her contempt for the elite. As a whole, this new Catwoman is the most complete that the character's ever been on the big screen, making her one of the standouts of the movie. The question that remains is when Zoe Kravitz's Catwoman will appear next: the Penguin TV series, The Batman 2, or another project entirely?