The only thing I know about Cats is that it’s about cats and the song ‘Memory’ which I first heard from our very own Ms Lea Salonga, I thought that was my issue, that I’m not familiar with the play, or with the story. It’s hard to absorb something if you don’t have any idea what they’re talking about. What’s a Jellicle cat? What exactly is this film trying to show in its first ten or so minutes? Tom Hooper’s adaptation of Andrew Lloyd Webber’s fantasy musical is an ambitious letdown.
It’s already hard to understand their accent at times, and there are terms that I really don’t understand. Some say you should have read the synopsis before watching it but that defeats the purpose of a story unfolding through your eyes. So, yeah, the writer should have at least taken into consideration those who are not familiar with the musical. Because as much as I am interested in what’s going on with the film, I don’t understand any of it.
I lost interest in the movie in its first twenty-ten minutes. The introduction of the characters was really tedious. I only figured out that they were introducing different types of cats after thirty minutes. I was really clueless.
I can’t say that the film is bad though. I mean, the boldness of the choices the film made. The performances and the visuals were amazing. If you’re only in it for Jennifer Hudson’s performance of Memory, then you won’t be disappointed. But if you’re in it for the story, then you’ll maybe as clueless as I am at times. The second half of the film gets better though, but it won’t take your interest back fully.
You’ll be weirded out, you’ll be wowed at some of its visuals. But all in all, Cats is a mess. I didn’t find any connection with the film and I was already bored when the film starts to move forward with its story. I was really interested when this was announced and as a fan of movie musicals, there’s just not much for me in here.
