Review: The Garfield Movie – Let sleeping cats lie

Directed by Mark Dindal
Starring Chris Pratt, Samuel L. Jackson, Nicholas Hoult, Hannah Waddingham 

5/10

There seemed to be a time when you couldn’t pass a car or lift a phone without seeing this overweight orange cat. But that was decades ago, and Garfield is no longer the overwhelming comic book character he used to be, albeit that name recognition has not entirely dimmed. Since then, we’ve had Hello Kitty, an internet full of cats, and nekomimi, so could this mark the triumphant return of Jim Davis’ creation?

When Garfield’s (Chris Pratt) deadbeat dad (Samuel L. Jackson) is brought back into his life, he finds himself dragged into a feline criminal underworld. Soon the father and son are tasked with stealing a milk truck from an impenetrable industrial dairy.

Oddly enough, The Garfield Movie feels like it doesn’t want to be a Garfield movie. After a prequel flashback and some fourth-wall-breaking character establishment, we’re treated to a cavalcade of expected character beats for ten minutes.

Once that’s out of the way, The Garfield Movie launches into the main body of the film, introducing a slew of new characters and shoehorning in a heist film. It’s certainly a different way to take the property, but it definitely feels bolted on rather than working with the established material.

However, what we are given works well enough as a more kid-focused family film. The slapstick nature of the comedy is entertaining. The animation is bright and fluid. It hits those emotional beats hard, tugging at the heartstrings, but they’re generally effective.

Then there’s the recognisable cast of actors lending their voices to the characters. Although Pratt’s and Jackson’s chemistry is a bit forced, Hoult, Rhames, and Waddingham shine in secondary roles.

The end result, though, just seems run of the mill. Nothing offensive, enjoyable enough for younger viewers, but nothing to recommend it over a number of other animated films. Indeed, in its attempt to reinvent the comic book icon, it comes across as rather generic. The Garfield Movie is neither a cat-astrophe nor purrfect, just middling.

DAVID O’CONNELL