When the first Cats trailer released on July 18 last year, the world left scathing reviews of this glimpse into Tom Hooper’s cinematic rendition of the beloved 1980 Andrew Lloyd Webber musical. Many were especially horrified by the flashy computer-generated cat suits replacing the wigs and bad makeup that had given the musical its beloved whimsicality. The CGI was so unnervingly lifelike in its ear-twitching and tail-swishing that the trailer lost all connection to humanity and appeared more like a nightmare from a parallel universe. With this feedback in mind, Tom Hooper promised he’d iron out these unnerving details, but the reviews have yet to improve, and with good reason.
The opening scene of the movie, a grandiose pan of the city of London, combines dark silhouettes and golden light into an almost vintage setting. As the humanoid cats begin to creep into the streets, the aesthetic quickly shifts into one of gruesome beauty. The cats pace around the main character, Victoria, in a cult-like circle as they introduce her to their annual ritual: the Jellicle Ball, where every cat in the tribe has a chance to float up into the sun and be “reborn.”
Immediately afterwards, the cats launch into a series of songs explaining to Victoria why they should be chosen for rebirth. Each of the songs reads like a elementary school personal essay, with each cat essentially taking five minutes to state their name and odd ambition; one cat (Rebel Wilson’s Jennyanydots) argues she is most worthy because she teaches cockroaches to dance, while another (James Corden’s Bustopher Jones) says he must be reborn so that he can experience the joy of growing fat again. For a few songs, the film captures the audience with its mesmerizing dancing, thanks to Royal Ballet dancers Francesca Hayward and Steven McRae as Victoria and Skimbleshanks the Railroad Cat, respectively.
After just a few of the cats’ introductory songs, the realization that there is no plot hits. As the film drags on, the audience is dragged deeper and deeper into a surreal haze of confusion about where the film is going.
Beneath the haze, there is a wisp of a message about abandonment. Victoria helps Jennifer Hudson’s Grizabella, a Jellicle outcast, to realize she is still worthy of others’ love and acceptance. This culminates in the wholesome choice of Grizabella as the cat who becomes reborn. Unfortunately, during Grizabella’s song of epiphany, “Memory”, Jennifer Hudson spends so long trying to spit out the lyrics through her alligator tears that she relinquishes what little hold she has on the audience’s pity, leaving the audience barely convinced of her message.
The absence of the whimsicality of the original play, accentuated lack of plot, and overall bizarreness in this film gives it a mind-numbing quality that no quantity of celebrity actors can save. But, if you’re looking for 2 hours to be whisked far away from this world, then Cats may just be your ticket. Maybe you, too, may return revived.
Article by Lynna Deng of Richard Montgomery High School
Photo Courtesy of IMDB