Anyway, Garfield (Chris Pratt) tells us how he, as a stray kitten, "adopted" his human, Jon Arbuckle (Nicholas Hoult) at an Italian restaurant. After that memorable dinner, Garfield and Jon live the "good life" in suburbia with Odie the Beagle (Harvey Guillen). One night, Garfield and Odie's midnight snack is interrupted when they're seized by Roland & Nolan (Brett Goldstein & Bowen Yang), the henchdogs of the evil kitty Jinx (Hannah Waddingham). Jinx is out for revenge against Vic (Samuel L. Jackson), Garfield's long-lost dad, and sure enough, the big guy saves Garfield and Odie for a minute. Yeah, a minute.
Vic and Jinx were in a cat gang together until he left her behind during a heist at a farm. She did hard time at the pound afterwards, and now, she wants Vic to pay her back. Garfield & Odie aren't out of the woods until they help Vic steal a lot of milk from the same farm. It's protected by a massive security system, but they may have an in with Otto the Bull (Ving Rhames), the farm's former mascot. He'll help them swipe the milk as long as they help him free his beloved former co-mascot, Ethel the Cow (Alice Grace Turrell). Unfortunately, Jinx isn't interested in upholding her end of the bargain. How will Garfield get out of this one?
I should address the orange tabby in the room. Pratt's upbeat rendition of Garfield, while severely different from the deadpan cat previously vocalized by Lorenzo Music & Bill Murray, is surprisingly appealing. It helps that the screenplay gives him a few funny zingers; his enthusiasm makes his daydream of being buried in cheese still funny after six months of it being trailered. Garfield "adopting" Jon in the opening is quite moving, even as it gets silly when he cries a literal river. He still has some of Garfield's classic traits, like a disdain for salad, which is better than none.
It maybe Garfield's world, but other characters have to live in it too. Fortunately, they're all right. You'll easily sympathize with Jon after Garfield & Odie's disappearance drives him up a wall. His reunion with them at the pound is just as moving as their first meeting. Odie, meanwhile, is still a fun doggie. Vic is fine, though his reason for "leaving" Garfield is somewhat underwhelming. Somewhat, because it loops around to decently compelling after a few revelations. Jinx, and the film's human antagonist, Marge the Security Guard (Cecily Strong), chew up the scenery with gusto. The difference between them is that Marge comes around in the end. Let's not forget Roland, Nolan and Otto; the henchdogs also redeem themselves in the end, while Otto is an amusing mix of gruff and lovey-dovey.
You can accuse the film of a lot of things, but you can't accuse it of being uninteresting to the eyes. Its color palette is as lively as its characters, whose designs are a great 3D transplant of Jim Davis's 2D aesthetics. Its set pieces - from Garfield getting smacked around on his way to a train to him fighting Jinx with a squad of delivery drones on another - are all entertaining. The farm's gigantic processing room, the "Pinecone" as Otto calls it, is the production design's masterwork. Its rendering of Garfield's favorite eats is that appetizing. Anyway, a film like this needs an energetic soundtrack and composer John Debney is up to the task. There's also a good setlist of pop songs, of which Jon Batiste's Good Life is the clear highlight.
Overall, The Garfield Movie is a decently entertaining family film. Its animated slapstick will surely entertain the kids, while the adults will relate to Jon's plight, even when he's out of focus. Its worst jokes elicit a minor chuckle at most, while they may elicit respectable indifference with others. Those jokes are not offensively stupid, but simply odd. You might get used to this interpretation of Garfield in no time. But the only way you'll find out is if you give it a watch. It's not that bad for a matinee. Don't imagine how it could get worse.
And it's still Monday!
No comments:
Post a Comment