Most critics find Cats an unsuccessful adaptation, with its digital feline bodies distracting from the performers and musical numbers. Praise clusters around Jennifer Hudson’s rendition of ‘Memory’, Francesca Hayward’s dancing and Ian McKellen’s performance, though even sympathetic reviews acknowledge the thin story. Some also admire the detailed sets and the cast’s commitment, finding occasional pleasure in a film whose appearance draws widespread complaints.
The recurring objections concern uncanny effects, confused scale and direction or editing that prevents the choreography from registering clearly. The spread is wide: Deadline regards the theatrical approach and performances as enough to carry the film, while the Financial Times enjoys its strange atmosphere, choreography and ensemble energy. Critics also disagree about whether the failures provide entertainment of their own. Several find an oddly compelling spectacle; The Ringer dissents from that consolation, judging it too boring to reward fascination with its mistakes.
F
Financial Times
19 December 2019 · Nigel Andrews
70*
The critic finds the film weird and wonderfully erotic yet lands on its feet thanks to terrific choreography and strong turns from several cast members. He singles out the noirish night-street visuals, enhanced leaps and variety-show energy of the ensemble numbers for praise.
The critic finds the film enjoyable for what it is, praising Jennifer Hudson's powerful performance as Grizabella and Francesca Hayward's graceful dancing as Victoria, while noting issues with the thin story, incomprehensible lyrics in group numbers, and excessive editing that disrupts the dance sequences.
The critic finds the film a freakily phantasmagoric and sexually charged high-wire act that sustains a hallucinatory theatrical reality true to the musical's spirit, despite a thin story. He praises the cast's yearning performances, especially Ian McKellen, Judi Dench, and Francesca Hayward.
The review portrays the film as an absurd, improbable monstrosity that defies good/bad judgments, praising its sheer existence and occasional bursts of talent like the "Memory" performance while criticizing the chaotic direction and lack of narrative.
The critic describes a strange, magical awfulness made with integrity, embracing the weirdness of the material while noting it is sublimely ridiculous overall. The 'Memory' sequence stands out as the one moment that works beautifully and transports even haters.
The review notes the strong cast and elements but criticizes the director for failing to capture the dances and performances effectively, resulting in an off-kilter adaptation with mishandled allegory. It serves as an object lesson in directorial risks.
The critic says the film is as bad as the trailer suggests, with hideous digital fur effects on hypertrichotic mutant-like cats and poor execution of the musical numbers and choreography. He singles out the misguided concept, unfinished effects, and failure to capture camp or humanity for complaint, though praising Ian McKellen's performance.
The critic finds it a puzzling, nightmarish, bizarre film that is all over the shop yet oddly beguiling, with scenery-chewing turns from Dench and McKellen as highlights amid the demented cat ballet and digital fur. Most viewers should give it a miss unless they are fans of the original musical.
The critic says it is not quite a catastrophe but isn’t up to scratch, badly cast and broadly directed with a book that has not aged well. The wonderful production design and occasional charm in the music stand out as bright spots amid the missteps and lack of target audience.
The critic finds the film visually creepy and exhausting due to its misguided digital effects and overproduced style, singling out the inconsistent proportions and monotonous visuals for complaint, while noting some strong performances from dancers and class acts like Dench.
The critic describes it as a musical mess and nightmare of derivative ditties by tedious kitties. He singles out the lack of plot, monolithic song structure, and overall execution for complaint.
The critic finds the film bad overall, with no real plot and uncanny CGI, but notes some craft and a kitsch guilty pleasure value in its failure. They single out the bizarre visual design and lack of narrative sense for complaint.
The critic calls the film a grotesque, uncanny failure that doubles the absurdity of the stage show, likening parts of it to a horror story nearly as obscene as The Human Centipede. He singles out Francesca Hayward's athletic and erotic performance as Victoria for praise.
The critic calls it a disastrous feline musical folly ruined by horrifying CGI cat designs and a director who loses focus on the performers and choreography. Even an ardent fan finds little joy in this ugly, half-cooked adaptation that wastes its cast and source material.
The critic finds the jarring adaptation an unwieldy eyesore with poorly executed VFX and uncanny, unconvincing cat designs that destroy the illusion and fail to engage viewers. Some anarchic conceptual appeal is noted in the high-concept mess and ironic casting moments.
The critic calls the film a jaw-dropping feline folly that fully realises the queasy fears from its trailer. He singles out the uncanny CGI visuals, awkward performances, and bizarre design for complaint.
The critic calls the film a poorly conceived and executed adaptation that is an eyesore and Jellicle catastrophe, criticizing Tom Hooper's tacky interpretation and its failure to capture what audiences love about the musical.
The critic calls the film a sinister, all-time disaster and computer-aided hellscape from which no one emerges unscathed. He highlights the unappealing CGI, grotesque performances and overall calamity as the chief failings.
The movie is mostly a horror and endurance test from a neon-drenched netherworld where the ghastly mixes with the tedious, with occasional self-aware hoots. Ian McKellen as Gus and Taylor Swift as Bombalurina deliver stronger performances amid the grotesque design.
Tom Hooper’s movie is not a catastrophe or an epic hairball, though it tampers down the show's strangeness by trying to class it up. James Corden as Bustopher Jones and Rebel Wilson as Jennyanydots provide the best comic numbers.
The adaptation succeeds as a highly theatrical version of the stage musical, with strong performances carrying it. Jennifer Hudson delivers a standout 'Memory' and the cast including Ian McKellen, Judi Dench, and Taylor Swift all excel in their roles.
The critic finds positives in the production design, songbook delivery and committed cast performances but notes the CGI and technical decisions are often distracting and uncanny. It concludes the film is a harmless mess that is entertaining without being a masterpiece.
The film is weird and occasionally wonderful, far from the predicted car crash; it praises strong performances especially from Jason Derulo and newcomer Francesca Hayward along with improved CGI and detailed sets, while noting the nonsensical plot and some unconvincing moments, but concludes there is unexpected fun to be had.
The critic describes the film as a bizarre, sincere fever dream with flashes of gonzo brilliance (often accidental) amid disturbing uncanny-valley effects and a ridiculous premise, ultimately finding it neither fully good nor bad but never overcoming its technical and tonal flaws.
The review calls the adaptation a fever dream that neuters the musical's strengths in dance, costumes, and songs while barely holding a plot together amid CGI excess. It finds some bright spots in committed performances like Jason Derulo and Jennifer Hudson's "Memory," but ultimately sees the whole as self-undermining yet weirdly committed.
The critic finds the film one of the most boring of 2019, with no coherent plot and few memorable numbers, though the diverse cast (including surprisingly good turns from Rebel Wilson and James Corden) and a couple of decent musical performances provide limited relief.
The piece finds the film too boring to qualify as a fascinating catastrophe or camp classic, likening it to an accidental but unengaging mess rather than true delirium. It offers stray thoughts instead of a standard verdict, noting it fails to deliver expected chaos or catnip-like appeal.
The critic describes the film as a mind-warping descent into madness with terrible direction, VFX, and no plot. It mixes poor source material with execution so flawed it renders even committed performances lifeless.
The critic calls it a colossal failure but a fascinating one, praising the choreography and standout performances like Ian McKellen as Gus and Jennifer Hudson's 'Memory' while criticizing the ghastly CGI fur, added hackish plot, and overall grotesque execution.
Tom Hooper's film turns the musical into a garish, unsettling spectacle that fails to enchant despite some strong turns from Jennifer Hudson, Judi Dench, and Ian McKellen. The hybrid of physical and digital elements crashes more often than it succeeds, with Hooper struggling to direct musical sequences effectively.
The critic calls the CGI the film's murder weapon, arguing it turns capable performers into grotesque, uncanny hybrids that are neither convincingly feline nor human and renders the whole spectacle overwhelmingly grotesque rather than enchanting.
Ordered by the weight we give each publication, then by score. Scores are normalised to 100; * means inferred from an unrated review. Summaries are ours, not quotations; follow the links for the reviews themselves. How we rate
