While some ideas appear brilliant on paper, it doesn’t always mean they’re right. Based on the stage musical of the same name created by the infamous Andrew Lloyd Weber, the film is directed by the talented Tom Hooper, known for his excellent previous works like “The King’s Speech” or “Danish Girl”, and gathers an exceptional cast composed in part of Judi Dench, Jason Derulo, Idris Elba and even Taylor Swift. Enough said: all the elements were present to make Cats 2019’s blockbuster a worthy competitor of Star Wars 9, especially during the Christmas’ celebrations. Just after being released though, reviews condemned it unanimously and its audience rating is rather catastrophic. So what happened to make it such a disaster?

Once a year, during an extraordinary night, the Jellicle Cats (Nocturnal Cats described by the poet Thomas Stearn Elliot in his “Old Possum’s Book of Practical Cats”, on which the play is based) take part in a ceremony where they compete for the chance to be picked by their leader — Deuteronomy — who sends them to the Heaviside Layer where they are granted a new life.

What could we say, except that nothing works? Those who don’t know the complete story and are not familiar with its original poetic universe shouldn’t expect any explanations or clarifications: it is a complete mess. There are too many characters, barely introduced and some of them make an appearance just for a song then disappear without having any consequences on the plot. You won’t have time to get to know them or feel any emotions; they are all interchangeable. The acting is awkward, the comedians try desperately to imitate feline attitude and movement, only in a ridiculous mockery.

The visual effects, fundamental in this kind of movie, are properly disgusting. The cats’ appearance is horrific and perfect nightmare fuel: they look like CGI monsters where some human limbs or accessories can suddenly emerge. There is absolutely no respect for dimensions, in some shots characters are surrounded by a gigantic city and on the contrary, they regain their human size in others scenes. Overall, the film is a real ordeal for the eyes.

On the other hand, the soundtrack won’t bother you for a simple reason: you won’t remember any song. Even the famous “Memories” interpreted in the film by Jennifer Hudson isn’t worthy of its name and cannot reach the original strength.

However, even in the worst chaos hope remains; in this case thanks to the venerable Ian Mckellen and the surprising Francesca Hayward. The former can count on his talent and delivers a very endearing performance in his unique and important scene, whereas the latter succeeds the achievement of being sweet in her acting and impressive in her choreography despite being surrounded by renowned stars.

Apparently, the movie was not completed for its release date and had been directed in a conflicting atmosphere between Tom Hooper and the producers. The result is shameful and manages to turn gold into lead. May this serve Hollywood a lesson so that it never forgets that cinema is an art which should produce unique jewels without fading the source of adapted works.

Director: Tom Hooper
Writers: T.S. Eliot (poetry collection “Old Possum’s Books of Practical Cats”), Lee Hall (screenplay)
Stars: Jennifer Hudson, Judi Dench, Taylor Swift

 

Aurélien Petit
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