), The central figure, besides Victoria, is Grizabella (Jennifer Hudson), a bedraggled cat who's the "Delta Dawn" of the cat world, shunned by the rest of the cats for her disreputable past. There are only a couple of sustained shots in "Cats," and they stand out for the pleasure they bring. With this film, Tom Hooper became the third person to direct both a Best Picture Oscar winner and Worst Picture Razzie winner, after Kevin Costner (Dances with Wolves (1990) and The Postman (1997)) and Peter Farrelly (Green Book (2018) and Movie 43 (2013)). Cats may very well be the most unique film of the year, certainly released by a major studio, and you'll love it and hate it but you sure won't forget it. ‘Cats’: Film Review Nine may not be enough lives for some of the stars to live down their involvement in this poorly conceived and executed adaptation of Andrew Lloyd Webber’s hit musical. Screenshot via Twitter Show More Show Less 12 of 16 This image released by Universal Pictures shows Taylor Swift as Bombalurina in a scene from "Cats." They wouldn't last five minutes! As of Friday evening, Cats had achieved a score of 20 per cent on the movie-review aggregator Rotten Tomatoes, which offered this synposis: "Despite its fur-midable cast, this Cats adaptation is a clawful mistake that will leave most viewers begging to be put out of their mew-sery." Andrew Lloyd Webber took these poems, wove them together loosely, initially envisioning it as a concert or a chamber piece. The musical doesn't trust the audience, doesn't trust that the dancing in and of itself is exciting enough to hold our interest. Cats the movie is a slick, computer-enhanced celeb-fest with meticulously choreographed set-pieces taking place in a version of London that sits … If you're not familiar with the Andrew Lloyd Webber musical, Cats is based on Old Possum's Book of Practical Cats by T.S. There are some who will find this unbearably silly. Taylor Swift plays Bombalurina, Macavity's gun moll sidekick. Performances, unsettling special effects and a plot that makes zero sense have all been raised as the film's worst points. The camera follows them. Grizabella sings "Memory," a show-stopping song based (loosely), on Eliot's poem, "Cats" suffers from a problem common in contemporary filmed musicals. He casts some big names like Taylor Swift and Jennifer Hudson, and fills it out with lesser-known performers, as well as an enchanting newcomer named Francesca Hayward, a principal ballerina at the Royal Ballet, who plays "Victoria," the wide-eyed innocent cat thrust into a strange new world. This content is imported from YouTube. You are allowed to watch Fred Astaire and Ginger Rogers create the dance together, in real time. Cats movie reviews & Metacritic score: Blanket is an indoor cat who is too afraid to leave his apartment. You are allowed to watch, Outlines: A Queer Reading of Some Silhouettes, Resident Alien Blends Humor, Heart into Effective Escapism, Jules Goes to Therapy in Her Own Special Episode of Euphoria, HBO's Painting with John is a Magnetic Celebration of Arts and Artists. "Jennyanydots" (, Over all of this jazz-hands talent-show activity looms the there-and-not-there Macavity (, The central figure, besides Victoria, is Grizabella (Jennifer Hudson), a bedraggled cat who's the "Delta Dawn" of the cat world, shunned by the rest of the cats for her disreputable past. A sneaky, creepy, conniving cat tries to use magic and sorcery to win a chance at a new life. Sign up here. Different cats take the spotlight, and perform a number about who they are. This movie is far from a purrfect adaptation of Andrew Lloyd Webber's hit musical. Violence. Copyright © Fandango. Her appearance here has a lot of resonance for those who know the history. Night Stalker: The Hunt for a Serial Killer. Eliot. Eliot published a book called Old Possum's Book of Practical Cats, filled with poems he had written about cats to amuse his godchildren. Critic Reviews for Cats The film is flat, without any of the camp, kitsch high energy that characterised the stage show, but its wrongness is never less than mesmerising. "Jennyanydots" (Rebel Wilson) is a lazy tabby who wreaks havoc at night. Movie Reviews Cats Review: Ignore the Haters, Enjoy the Music and Dancing If you liked Cats the musical, you will like the film, the scathing reviews are just bullies piling on. You couldn't. There are all these dance numbers in "Cats," and Hooper spends so much time cutting around, changing angles, flying up to the ceiling, manipulating the images. Eliot cat poems from which the script is drawn is no more than a prompt for a series of musical numbers and the feline talent show which ties them all together has a weird conclusion. By creating an account, you agree to the Privacy Policy The Cats movie is about cats, yes. The Best Worst Movies Ever Made. The takes are long. Forgot your password? Cat-astrophic special effects ruin Tom Hooper’s adaptation of the infamous stage musical Cats. ), and over-producing much of it (the sets feel self-consciously referential, almost to the point of irony, but not quite). In the opening sequence, Victoria, abandoned by her owners, is taken under the collective wing of the gang of street cats known as "Jellicle cats." She's allowed to do the beautiful thing she knows how to do, and we're privileged enough to watch. Cats review: a sinister, all-time disaster from which no one emerges unscathed — Tim Robey (who gave the film zero stars), The Telegraph. Reviewers panned the new "Cats" movie. Get the freshest reviews, news, and more delivered right to your inbox! "Cats" suffers from a problem common in contemporary filmed musicals. Cats review – will haunt viewers for generations No amount of A-list stars can save Tom Hooper’s dire Lloyd Webber adaptation from being a career low for all involved Simran Hans How could you predict something like "Cats"' success? When you notice a cat in profound meditation,The reason, I tell you, is always the same:His mind is engaged in a rapt contemplationOf the thought, of the thought, of the thought of his name. You're denied the sense of sustained movement, denied the simple pleasure of watching dancers dance. Embarrassing even. "Cats" suffers from a problem common in contemporary filmed musicals. It was the second Broadway show I saw as a child), but obviously throngs of audiences have thrilled to it. The story is thin, to say the least. The appeal of the show is somewhat mysterious to me (and I've seen it twice. The review embargo for the upcoming movie adaptation of Cats, directed by Tom Hooper, lifted on Wednesday night and critics all across the internet have been coughing up furballs.. They sing a song explaining "Jellicle cats," but since the lyrics are almost totally incomprehensible during all the group numbers (a problem throughout, and it's inexcusable), it's hard to get a line on what is going on. Its elements are gathered and chosen and crafted attentively. But at the same time it was watchable. The musical doesn't trust the audience, doesn't trust that the dancing in and of itself is exciting enough to hold our interest. The musical doesn't trust the audience, doesn't trust that the dancing in and of itself is exciting enough to hold our interest. Cats movie review: Two hours of only song and dance After that bonkers trailer, we knew Cats was going to engender some stranger moments. The first trailer arrived during this year's San Diego Comic-Con, which was an odd time to debut it. "Old Deuteronomy" (Judi Dench) is the wise elder cat, and the master of ceremonies. Now, Rotten Tomatoes just revealed how bad it is. Dench dropped out at the last minute, after snapping her Achilles tendon. The genesis for the movie stretches back to the 1970s when Lloyd Webber began adapting T.S. It's a resurrection fantasy, a dream of cleansing and purification (all things which T.S. If you can overlook the problematic CGI and enjoy the craft of the performances, Cats may be a unique blend of musical and movie. (Watch what she does with "I must wait for the sunrise." "Heaven"), a place where the chosen cat moves on to the next of their (presumably) nine lives. Different cats take the spotlight, and perform a number about who they are. There's one moment where Hayward pirouettes in a large circle around the room, and the camera follows her, and it's a lyrical moment of graceful fluid movement. At the time of this writing, the film's Rotten Tomatoes score is just 17% after 89 reviews. When you notice a cat in profound meditation, In the opening sequence, Victoria, abandoned by her owners, is taken under the collective wing of the gang of street cats known as "Jellicle cats." But it also should have been about, well, Cats. The actors range from lively to passionate to profound. You're denied the sense of sustained movement, denied the simple pleasure of watching dancers dance. "Cats" features grown humans crawling around in furry suits pretending to be cats. `` Heaven '' ), on eliot 's poem Rhapsody on a Windy.... ( Steven McRae ) commandeers railway cars with the power of his tap-dancing 2.5/4.0 '' ''! 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