"Cats" Review

Cats has finally made its way to the big screen. Lloyd Webber's live action play based on the 1939 poetry collection, Old Possum's Book of Practical Cats by T. S. Eliot, has been adapted by Tom Hooper (Les Miserables) for the big screen in a valiant attempt to be a blockbuster smash through a star-studded cast using CGI to bring the rhythmic felines to life. 

Cats tells the story of the Jellicles, a tribe of cats, who take you on a musical journey through the night where they are preparing to compete and perform to be selected and sent to the Heaviside Layer (a heaven-like rebirth for cats) to come back as a new and improved Jellicle. While the Cats are preparing and showing their talents, the antagonist, Macavity (Idris Alba), is trying to sabotage the other cats' chances at winning in order to ensure he is the selected feline.

If you haven't seen the play, you'll still be able to follow the movie. The movie does feel as if you're watching the Broadway musical, so there's minimal dialogue and a lot that can be left to interpretation. Some of the takeaways of the movie include embracing individuality and staying true to yourself. The CGI development had some unbelievable and cringe-worthy moments. There were some instances where it [CGI] was hard to follow, but the progression of the characters actually made me believe in some of the ensemble as cats after a certain point. 

There are plethora of Cats in this movie which makes it hard to keep up with at times, but the acclaimed cast helped to quickly identify some of the felines.  Francesca Hayward's debut as Victoria is noteworthy. Her ballet background helps her stand out in this role which allows this adaptation to still have a Broadway aura. Jennifer Hudson and Jason Derulo's performances were some of the better musical selections while Taylor Swift's performance was swift, but decent.  I also noticed a cameo of the Bourgeois twins (Beyonce's dancers) in the film.

It's a family friendly movie for people that enjoy musicals - or if you're a Cats fan, Cats Stan, or you just love cats all together. If you're looking for a movie that has a Disney like substance in the theatrics and musical selection that you can enjoy with your family and/or take your kids to see, then this movie is a good choice. Other than that you'll probably want to skip this one, but if you’re going to see it, the experience will be better on the big screen than at home because it needs your undivided attention to get through it.

Grade C