Turning a musical into a movie isn't easy, but when it's done right it can capture the essence of the original in a way that can't be conveyed on stage. Unfortunately, this Cats movie is a musical crammed into a movie with all of its life drained in the process.
The easy critique of Cats is that it looks ghastly, and it certainly does. But it goes beyond the unsettling human-like cat animation. Everything is caked in so much CGI that all the dancing and movement of the movie feels dampened. The colors are all washed out and the cats don't stand out from the bleak settings they inhabit. Sometimes I don't even know where I'm supposed to be looking because there's nothing dynamic.
The awkwardness of the artificial fur coating hampers any funny or touching moment - it's like there's a hairball stuck to any sentiment in the movie. That's not to say there's much to feel... the characters are just props to eek out the songs one by one until the checklist is done. There's certainly no real story, which you can attribute to the original musical but isn't helped at all by the film. From the moment it starts you are tossed into this bizarre-looking and exceedingly unpleasant world of which there is really nothing redeeming.
On top of the yucky visuals and flat characters, the camerawork is stubbornly rigid. You never feel pulled into the flow of dances or emotions - it feels more like a camera is set up to film a freak show for reality TV. It's almost as is the director is conscious of what a mess is taking place, but they're reporting on it rather than trying to evolve it.
In my opinion, Cats is just as bad as the reviews say. But it's not just because of the initial shock of the way they've chosen to render the cats. Even if you give it your best try, it's difficult to watch this movie and find something to like.
The easy critique of Cats is that it looks ghastly, and it certainly does. But it goes beyond the unsettling human-like cat animation. Everything is caked in so much CGI that all the dancing and movement of the movie feels dampened. The colors are all washed out and the cats don't stand out from the bleak settings they inhabit. Sometimes I don't even know where I'm supposed to be looking because there's nothing dynamic.
The awkwardness of the artificial fur coating hampers any funny or touching moment - it's like there's a hairball stuck to any sentiment in the movie. That's not to say there's much to feel... the characters are just props to eek out the songs one by one until the checklist is done. There's certainly no real story, which you can attribute to the original musical but isn't helped at all by the film. From the moment it starts you are tossed into this bizarre-looking and exceedingly unpleasant world of which there is really nothing redeeming.
On top of the yucky visuals and flat characters, the camerawork is stubbornly rigid. You never feel pulled into the flow of dances or emotions - it feels more like a camera is set up to film a freak show for reality TV. It's almost as is the director is conscious of what a mess is taking place, but they're reporting on it rather than trying to evolve it.
In my opinion, Cats is just as bad as the reviews say. But it's not just because of the initial shock of the way they've chosen to render the cats. Even if you give it your best try, it's difficult to watch this movie and find something to like.