He’s a world-famous cartoon character and a pop-culture icon with a reputation for being shiftless and cynical. His slothfulness and dry humour are not unknown to Malaysians, with his comic strip having been published in a local newspaper for decades.
It should not be at all surprising, then, that film studios have tried to bank on Garfield’s popularity in the past. Numerous TV series and movies have been made with creator Jim Davis’ famed feline in the spotlight since his first print appearance in 1978.
The latest attempt is “The Garfield Movie”, an animated feature that follows, well, none other than Garfield, of course! – as he embarks on an unusually perilous adventure.
At the start, the ever-lazy and eternally hungry Garfield (distractingly voiced by Chris Pratt) lives a pampered life with his owner Jon (Nicholas Hoult) and canine companion/servant Odie (Harvey Guillen).
Everything turns on its head, however, when he is unexpectedly reunited with his father Vic (Samuel L Jackson), whom Garfield remembers as having abandoned him as a kitten.
Despite their prickly relationship, father and son – plus Odie – are forced to go on a heist by the villainous Jinx (Hannah Waddingham), another cat with a grudge against Vic.
Will the two cats (and dog) make it out alive? Will Jon see his beloved pets ever again? And is the ending a foregone conclusion, given that this film is geared towards kids?
So, what works here? For a film about an obese cat, “The Garfield Movie” is well animated, with some eye-catching scenery that might actually surprise you, given the predominant art style.
The animators generally do a good job transporting the characters from the 2D world of newspaper comics into the 3D world of the movies.
Some of the voice performances are also praiseworthy, with Jackson, in particular, clearly having fun with his role. You almost expect him to drop a cuss word at a moment’s notice.
The same, however, cannot be said for Pratt, who seems to misunderstand the whole point of the character he is voicing.
If the key traits of Garfield are “lazy” and “cynical”, then ol’ Star-Lord fails to embody these qualities: his take is far too expressive, a world away from the cat who has typically stayed indifferent for 46 years.
Alas, Pratt’s performance falls even further below par than Bill Murray’s in 2004’s live-action “Garfield: The Movie”. (Perhaps nobody can beat the late, great Lorenzo Music, who voiced the fat cat in the TV series “Garfield and Friends” from 1988-1994, as well as a slew of specials.)
Indeed, even without being a Garfield enthusiast, one might say this movie deviates too much from what makes Garfield Garfield. Passing references are made to his love of lasagne and loathing of Mondays, but these are so brief and inconsequential, they might as well not be there at all.
Heck, you could substitute Garfield with literally any other character and the film would basically be the same. Garfield is that replaceable in his own movie!
Then there’s the plot, such as it is, and what it does to the characterisation of our furry orange friend. The charm of the comic strip lies in its down-to-earth, slice-of-life (some might say one-note) humour; making him go on a high-stakes heist flies in the face of the feline fans know and love.
Oh, and the product placement. Come on, Sony – is there really someone out there who would be convinced to buy your phone just because they saw Garfield using it?! Aduhai.
Perhaps this is emblematic of a bigger issue: this film feels like one that was made purely because a big corporation demanded it.
Ultimately, despite the best efforts of the producers, “The Garfield Movie” feels rather devoid of life – which is ironic, given how cats have nine of them.
As of press time, ‘The Garfield Movie’ is screening in cinemas nationwide.