Cats

I have watched the stage musical production of “Cats” three times, and what was undeniable were the powerful emotional quality and indelible staying power of Andrew Lloyd Webber’s music and T. S. Elliot’s witty and memorable poetry/lyrics. To the extent that the new song, co-written with Taylor Swift, was actually a standout moment. 

But other than the music, this film was a hot mess. 

They really should have honoured the original production and not try to shoehorn a narrative or plot, and even worse, a romance! That really threw the whole film off because now it just felt even more ridiculous than the original production. 

What helped the stage musical was its reliance on the audience’s imagination to fill in the blanks; whereas now, Tom Hooper and co were trying to shove their version of the story down your throat. 

To be fair, the CGI cat-costumes was not as distracting (or less weird/ridiculous) as the lyrca-clad version, but it was the lack of genitalia with the hint of breasts that was utterly odd. As were the strange feet (shoes?!) and clothes/attire that adorn different cats that defies logic. Even the varying proportions throughout the film was less distracting. 

Judi Dench (Old Deuteronomy) and Ian McKellen (Gus) managed to retain some dignity; Jennifer Hudson channeled Effie in her Grizabella and her version of “Memory” though packed a punch, lacked the emotional weight deserving of the character; Taylor Swift (Bombalurina), on the other hand, stood out with her single song cameo as she appeared to embrace the ridiculousness of it all; Idris Elba (Macavity) was criminally underused and distracting CGI-ed in his big number; Rebel Wilson (Jennyanydots) and James Corden (Bustopher Jones) were funny and competent but their musical numbers were not great; Jason Derulo (Rum Tum Tugger) was superfluous; Laurie Davidson (Mr Mistoffelees) and Robbie Fairchild (Munkustrap) were standouts but pity they were not as well known; and lastly newcomer Francesca Hayward (Victoria/White Cat) danced beautifully but it was hard to judge her acting under all that CGI and a plot that only demanded her to stare out, mouth agape mostly. 

To really enjoy this film, a keen and fond memory of the original musical is essential. It will definitely not gain “Cats” any new fans. Perhaps it might be a lot more enjoyable under the influence of alcohol or what not (imagine watching this during an acid trip!), and may even be so bad that it develops into a cult film just like “The Rocky Horror Picture Show” or even “The Room”!