Hating Cats For Its Depictions Of Cats Is Wasteful Critiquing
It’s about cats, performed by humans, acting like cats. You cannot aim for realism within a surrealistic setting.
When Cats the musical splashed on the silver screen, many of us cringed because our minds were too narrow to accept illogical depictions.
But let me make this very clear:
They are cats, performed by humans, who are acting like cats.
Hating Tom Hooper’s version of Cats onscreen because of the way he depicted felines is like lambasting every Disney film for the way they make animals talk. They’re not actual cats, nor are they actual humans. They are an imperfect blend of the two.
Also, the way they look doesn’t really affect the entire plot. It’s just a part of the plot.
You don’t really need to know what shape the kitchen knife looks like, you only need to know that there is a kitchen knife. The way it looks is just added flair.
Hooper could have refrained from CGI and dressed the cats up as they do on-stage, but does it really matter?
He could have given the cats paws instead of human hands. Or even thickened up their fur instead of putting actual fur coats over them. Or made them act more humanly. Or put underwear on all of them because some people can’t handle the fact that every animal on this earth has genitals. (Not that there’s anything to see, anyway.)
But really, does their depiction matter that much?
They’re bloody humans dressing like cats for Christ’s sake! Unless you can get real cats to speak and prance around like humans, you’re going to have to put up with these weird and wacky man-made adaptations.
What I Really Thought Of Cats
Let’s remember that the plot itself is rather eclectic and weird. You’re not going to gain exceptional insights into the world of cats. You are, however, going to enjoy a spectacular form of escapism through melodic music and surrealistic entertainment.
Indeed, that being said, I do wish they allowed all the songs to play out in their complete form rather than snapping them off halfway through to add irking dialogue. Thankfully, their full CD of the movie/musical adaptation is wholesome and brilliant.
The songs themselves are quite candid and very well contemporised. And, let’s be honest, very weird with their lyrical persuasions. But they are sung well (and enhanced well), creating a wonderful air of bizarre curiosity and evocative panache.
But, allow me to be blunt here: If you’ve got a conservative mindset, where things are supposed to be the way they are supposed to be, you will hate it. This movie is designed to elate the imagination. So don’t watch it. Your conservative mind won’t be able to cope.
But if you can afford a sense of curiosity and candour while discarding preconceptions of how things ought to be, then you’ll definitely enjoy it. For that is the way the original musical requires it to be seen. You must free your imagination and just go with it.
Allow your mind to bathe in all the excessive nonsense!
Because Cats is not meant for making sense. It’s true escapism at its finest, really. Indeed, there is a plot to follow, and it is wonderful in its sheer simplicity. But everything else is just for show. A bit of razzle-dazzle if you will. And sure, it’s not the greatest razzle-dazzle I’ve seen, but it’s definitely not the worst.
So lap it up and enjoy it! And forget all those critics wasting their time whining about the way the cats are supposed to look.
