Cats the movie: creepy or majestic?
The Broadway musical Cats is coming soon to theaters and already getting mixed reviews.
The official Cats movie poster for the 2019 release in theatres.
Cats the musical is releasing to theaters this weekend and while many fans are eager to see it, the early reviews from critics aren’t great. Cats is a musical composed by Andrew Lloyd Webber based on the 1939 poetry collection, “Old Possum’s Book of Practical Cats,” by T.S Eliot.
Tom Hooper, director of Cats, has directed movies such as John Adams, The Danish Girl, and Les Miserables. The move to Hollywood for Cats was announced earlier this year and will hit theaters this weekend on December 20th. I don’t know if that was the best marketing decision since “Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker,” is also scheduled to release the same day and is sure to impact ticket sales.
Cats movie poster for the film releasing December 20th.
A major factor that will determine if Cats is a hit or miss is the cast. The all-star cast list for the film includes Francesca Hayward, Jennifer Hudson, James Corden, Taylor Swift, Rebel Wilson, Jason Derulo, Idris Elba, Judi Dench, and Ian Mckellen. The majority of the actors are singers and recognizable Hollywood actors, and some of the cast even carry experience from other Broadway productions.
While some critics found the cast problematic, wanting previous Cats performers in the movie version, fans seem excited to see some of their favorite actors take on the roles. Francesca Hayward, a Principal of The Royal Ballet, is making her debut on the big screen as Victoria in the movie.
The plot of the movie is said to be the same as the musical and about 20 minutes shorter than the show on Broadway, with a runtime of 110 minutes for the movie.
The reviews from critics have started being released since many had an early screening on Wednesday, and most are negative. It is currently at a 17% rating on Rotten Tomatoes. Many of the reviewers comment on the special effects being the largest reason they didn’t like the film.
“Cat-astrophic special effects ruin Tom Hooper’s adaptation of the infamous stage musical Cats,” Matthew Dougherty of IGN movies commented.
Other critcs had similar reactions.
“The look of the actors is so strange you can’t get over it: It’s the Uncanny Alley,” wrote Kyle Smith of National Review.
Cats releases December 20th, but some theaters are starting showings tonight. Check your local listings if you want to check out Cats for yourself.
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Emilie Ramos is a senior at Wiregrass Ranch High School, and this is her first year writing for The Stampede. She is a member of the 2020 club, ASL National...
