How true to source does one have to be? This is the underlying question of CATS, the new movie-musical from Tom Hooper. Based on the original musical by Andrew Lloyd Webber, this film tries to take the original musical in a new direction, and fails.
In order to understand why this movie came about, we have to take a look at the original musical. Webber based his musical off of T.S. Eliot’s “Old Possum’s Book of Practical Cats,” a collection of poems about “jellicle” cats. What’s a jellicle cat? You only need to ask this question once, because both the musical and movie shove the answer down your throat every 15 minutes.
The original musical operates under no discernible plot. It works more as a series of vignettes about different cats, much like the original book. Hooper tried to give plot to something that doesn’t have it, and that is where the movie fails.
There were some highlights of the film. Ian McKellan commands his short presence in the film, and his musical number is the best of the show. Newcomer Francesca Hayward also surprises with a breakout performance in the character Victoria, and with a mix of a pleasant voice and graceful ballet, Hayward brings a beacon of light in this movie.
Adapting a stage musical to the screen is a difficult task, especially with a musical with no set plot and minimal stage dressing. I commend Hooper for trying to make something from seemingly nothing, but the execution is far from exceptional.
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