'Cats' is Tom Hooper's Half-Human-Half-Kitty Galore

If there's one thing to say about Tom Hooper's Cats, is that it's incredibly watchable. A head-scratching, mysteriously fascinating watch that would hook you in right off the bat mainly because of its weirdness. It starts right away without any warning. From the get go, we see Victoria (Francesca Hayward in her feature film debut), a stray cat thrown away in a dumpster, finding herself surrounded by a gangster of cats. She then eventually serves as the audience's guide into their strange world meeting other distinct furry creatures who share the same goal of performing at the Jellicle ball where the wise and beloved elderly cat Old Deuteronomy (Judi Dench) chooses which cat deserves another chance at a different life in the Heaviside Layer.

Photo: United International Pictures

Cats' appeal is inexplicable. For someone like me who doesn't know anything about the story, my head kept on wondering--what's going on, why are they dancing ballet as cats, and why do they look like cats but not entirely like one--and I kind of enjoyed it? It's almost like experiencing an acid trip, which I haven't experienced, but watching Cats might have shown me a glimpse.

Part of its strangeness is how the songs and the way they're sung are a bit incomprehensible. Not to mention all the dancing, the props, the background are really chaotic, neon-lit colorful, and overall festive. There is also a handful of characters, as distinct as they all look, could be quite overwhelming to be familiar with. So all of the senses, while watching everything unfold, is turned max up. Hooper also doesn't give way for cathartic moments. After one number, the next one comes right away. It's a chaotic hullabaloo, but it's part of the package.

What also pulls this one down is that it demands to be vivacious but Tom Hooper's vision couldn't match its energy and creativity. For a film adaptation of Cats, this feels limited when it shouldn't be because it's not nailed to the stage of a theater. Uninspired steady shots and close ups bring nothing to elevate its material so some of its big moments do not soar. There are obviously numbers that are given more effort, specifically Taylor Swift's Macavity but the rest feels like Hooper doesn't know what to do with the songs and numbers. 

The good thing is that Andrew Lloyd Weber's songs are good, and even Taylor Swift's Beautiful Ghosts is beautiful. The latter doesn't quite mesh well with the harmony of the other songs, but the whole soundtrack is a variety of speed and tempo so it's all good. The cast are also very committed to their roles. Jennifer Hudson as Grizabella, Ian McKellen as Gus, and Idris Elba as Macavity are the standouts but the CGI and their look could have been better.

For me, Cats isn't the catastrophe that everyone expects it to be. I didn't not like it, but it's also obviously not the best musical out there. Still, it's very easy to enjoy it.