‘Cats’ may entertain some die-hard fans, but
Watching the new Cats film reminds me why I’m a dog person. If cats could write, this is…well, the kind of nonsense they would write.
An all-star cast, which includes James Corden, Judi Dench, Jason Derulo, Idris Elba, Jennifer Hudson, Ian McKellen, Taylor Swift and Rebel Wilson can’t save the screen adaptation of the popular Broadway musical.
Add Oscar®-winning director Tom Hooper (The King’s Speech, Les Misérables, The Danish Girl) with Andrew Lloyd Webber’s iconic music and a world-class cast of dancers under the guidance of Tony-winning choreographer Andy Blankenbuehler (Hamilton, In the Heights), the film should be a box office smash despite the release of Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker.
Instead, the re-imaging of the musical “for a new generation” (as it was billed), Cats was empty, hollow and boring at times.
There are some positive moments as Francesca Hayward makes her film debut. Corden and Wilson pull off some comedic powers and the tap sequence rests atop an otherwise, mediocre experience.
Suggestive moves and legs pushed high over and over again makes the audience just ask “Why?”
While Dench is an amazing actress, she’s outside of her skill set here, disappointing. Jennifer Hudson’s incredible vocals never break free from the odd, and sometimes creepy, themes. She just wasn’t given enough time (perhaps), because you may feel like Hudson was kept from stealing the show.
If you are unfamiliar with Cats, you may come away wondering about the plot, since the film just never comes together. The new song, “Beautiful Ghosts,” is a total bomb and took the air out of the moments.
While Cats is one of the longest-running shows in Broadway history, the film version proves this set for a stage musical and not the cinemas.
Cats earns 3 out of 10 stars
Genre: Epic Musical
Cast: James Corden, Judi Dench, Jason Derulo, Idris Elba, Jennifer Hudson, Ian McKellen, Taylor Swift, Rebel Wilson, and introducing Francesca Hayward
Director: Tom Hooper
Screenplay by: Lee Hall, Tom Hooper
Based on: Old Possum’s Book of Practical Cats by T.S. Eliot, the musical “Cats” by Andrew Lloyd Webber
Producers: Debra Hayward, Tim Bevan, Eric Fellner, Tom Hooper
Executive Producers: Andrew Lloyd Webber, Steven Spielberg, Angela Morrison, Jo Burn
