Film Preview: Cats (2019)

Page Revisions:

(July 21, 2019) Original
(November 24, 2019) New Trailer (#2) / New Poster (#1-#2)
(December 15, 2019) New Posters (#3-#4)

Release Date:

December 20, 2019

Synopsis:

From IMDb: “A tribe of cats called the Jellicles must decide yearly which one will ascend to the Heaviside Layer and come back to a new Jellicle life.”

Poster Rating: C / C+ / B- / C-

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Review: (#1) It pushes the concept of joy well, but it’s yellow tint is overbearing in this quantity. (#2) This is a rather symbolic design that might have more impact on those familiar with the musical’s content and themes.

(#3) A very stagy design that hopes to bring fans of the musical to the theater. This is the best work they’ve done so far, but it still feels rather cheap. (#4) The golden halo effect seems like the beginning of a series of character posters without the series and it doesn’t work even in a series motif.

Trailer Rating: C- / B

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Review: (#1) Your initial reaction may vary depending on whether or not you’re a fan of the original stage musical. There are few scenes that suggest satisfying dance routines, but there are so many cheesy moments in the trailer that it’s hard to focus on anything but. The digital fur alone is hideous and might be the most dispiriting thing about this trailer.

(#2) It almost seems like the criticism of the first trailer, including the terrible visual effects, was taken to heart and the new trailer does a much better job selling the film, its stars, and the idea of a big screen musical about cats.

Oscar Prospects:

Any big musical has the potential of being an Oscar contender and while initial thoughts was this could be such a case, the first trailer suggests it will struggle for acceptance as anything more than cheesy pulp entertainment, which negates a lot of its Oscar potential.