Cats might be Tom Hooper’s best work. A breathtaking film, and a marvelous way to close out the decade.
Here’s the thing about the CGI: I think it was on purpose. Yes, it looks bad. Yes, it looks terrible. And yes, it doesn’t look good. And I know it’s not great. Once again, it’s quite hard to look at. And I must say, yes, indeed, the CGI does not look so wonderful. But, while I do agree it doesn’t look spectacular, it’s on purpose because, and this is important, it’s all framed in a flashback. It’s Robert De Niro’s memory of the events! It’s not literally how it all looked when it happened, silly goose. De Niro’s character is an old man in the present—his memory ain’t great. The effects were directed by maestro Hooper to look horrible to emulate how De Niro sees it, retrospectively, in his mind’s eye. You can justify all sorts of things this way! Come on, do it with me! (“here we go!” as James Corden’s Bustopher Jones likes to say) All that disturbing meowing from Ian McKellen, that weirdly elongated shot of him licking up milk, it’s purposely freaky. That’s just how De Niro remembers it! (McKellen fondled De Niro in a New Jersey bar in ‘86). When the cats are going down the stairs but their feet don’t touch the ground, it’s not a visual effects mistake that they’re floating. Instead, that’s how De Niro, within his mind, back in his brain, the tippy top little point at the back of his mind, that’s how he’s remembering it. (De Niro never looks down when he walks, so he’s never actually seen feet hit the ground to know what it looks like). Guys, it makes sense, and it’s Hooper’s most reflexive work to date. It’s a direct response to all the criticisms he’s gotten for his other musicals (namely Les Misérables, his only other musical). People thought Les Mis was good, so by making a bad film, he’s doing the opposite of making a good film. And that’s great! I really can’t see where musicals can go from here. This is the peak, pack it up, we’ve hit the peak. I have not gone crazy, I’m perfectly fine, thank you for your concern. Goodnight.