Occasionally, a film is so remarkably bad that its awfulness becomes an oddly enjoyable experience rather than something to endure. This applies to "Cats," the big screen version of Andrew Lloyd Webber's 1982 musical, which enjoyed a long run on Broadway. The stage production of “Cats” has earned more than $4 billion dollars, so naturally Hollywood wanted a piece and brought it to theaters (where it quickly failed). It seemed obvious that this would be a misstep, because when the original material is terrible, how could the film possibly succeed? Let's begin with what works: the costume design and makeup are genuinely impressive, even if they’re unsettling. Initially, watching people move around and groom themselves as cats is disturbing and funny, but it doesn't take long before you start to perceive them as actual felines. (And yes, that’s exactly the kind of strange feeling that could give you nightmares for years.) The dancing is skillfully executed with inventive choreography, including some beautiful ballet sequences. Those who appreciate traditional theater and dance will find things to hold their attention. That's where the positives stop. The movie closely follows the Broadway play, meaning it’s just as flawed. Basically, a group of street cats gathers on the night of the Jellicle moon to perform in a feline talent show so that head cat Old Deuteronomy (Judi Dench) can decide which one deserves to go to a new life. It's an unsettling story made even more disturbing upon reflection. To appeal to modern audiences, director Tom Hooper includes typical slapstick humor and crude jokes intended to provoke laughter. While every cast member is quite frightening as human-cat hybrids, Taylor Swift’s appearance as a seductive feline and dealer of magical catnip is particularly jarring. Webber's repetitive songs are even more irritating when presented on screen (though “Memory” is an exception). The singing performances aren’t great either. Jennifer Hudson seems to be mocking herself with her exaggerated acting and vocalizing. Her emotional, tearful, and messy rendition of "Memory" is hilariously bad. Rebel Wilson's tap dancing feels like a bizarre hallucination as she trains her army of children with mouse faces to dance for her amusement (while cheerfully biting live cockroaches with human faces in half as they scream). I’m not sure anyone should see this film willingly, but it could certainly find an audience as a late-night movie similar to Tommy Wiseau's “The Room.”

Source on TMDB