There was a mixed reception to the trailer of “Cats.” Some thought it would be a great retelling of the hit Broadway show, while others were uncomfortable with the “digital fur technology.” Opening in cinemas alongside a Star Wars movie and the new Jumanji movie, “Cats” failed to reach its estimated $10-20 million domestic box office profit, making a measly $6.5 million its opening weekend. That mixed with their international sales of $4.4 million adds up to $10.9 million worldwide from their opening weekend. This doesn’t nearly cover the $100 million cost of the making of the movie, which doesn’t include the last-minute visual effects, marketing, and the cost of shipping new versions of the movie to theaters after the movie already released. 

Directed by Oscar winner Tom Hooper of “Les Miserables” and “The King’s Speech” notoriety, has a very star-studded cast. Starring Francesca Hayward, Idris Elba, Rebel Wilson, Jason Derulo, Jennifer Hudson, James Cordon, and Taylor Swift, the movie would be expected to have some of the same allure and intrigue as the musical. With the inclusion of “Cats” veteran Judi Dench playing Old Deuteronomy, it would be expected that the movie stayed true to the musical in terms of plot and song strength.

The movie and the musical follow the same baseline plot. A group of cats called Jellicles prepare for a ball where one gets chosen to go to the Heaviside Layer, where they will be reborn. Each cat sings a song about themselves in hopes to be the Jellicle Choice, where the villain Macavity intrudes and kidnaps Old Deuteronomy, the Jellicle leader. 

With the Broadway-style songs, some of the actors fall flat. Jason Derulo and Jennifer Hudson, in particular, don’t bring justice to the characters of Rum Tum Tugger and Grizabella respectively. They’re acting and singing seemed too overexaggerated, seemingly forcing the image of the characters instead of easing into it before performing. Jennifer Hudson’s rendition of “Memory” was a slight letdown, as she seems to try and force herself to cry too much which ruins the sentiment and emotion of the song. 

Taylor Swift’s performance as Bombalurina was great compared to the rest of the cast, as her singing had more enthusiasm and pizzaz to it. Francesca Hayward did an excellent job as Victoria, with her elegant ballerina dancing standing out amongst the jerky and unnatural moves of the rest of the cast. 

However, the film pales in comparison to the original in terms of its music and overall storytelling. The musical is a Broadway classic, with its quirky songs and even quirkier characters, as well as being the fourth-longest running show in Broadway history and having made an estimated $3 billion in revenue. The musical doesn’t take itself too seriously, letting the silliness happen while not going too far. Each song is beautiful, with “Memory” being the most memorable. The musical also has some plot points that the movie lacks. The movie also shifts the focus to Victoria, an abandoned cat who finds herself amongst the Jellicles. In the musical, however, she just blends in with the rest of the Jellicles, seemingly adapted to their way of life. 

Overall, the “Cats” movie gets a 2.5 out of 5 stars, as it is not the most interesting movie as it tends to take itself too seriously, but it is not too bad to the point where it is unwatchable.