While Garfield may not have the same clout as other animated characters, his enduring popularity makes the existence of this new big screen adventure somewhat understandable. Jim Davis’ comic strip is still read by tens of millions, while everyone is familiar with the various toys and posters that celebrate the lazy, lasagna loving cat.
This movie, however, wants you to forget everything you know, instead aiming for something completely new. Chris Pratt voices Garfield, a contented house cat who enjoys bossing around his human Jon (Nicholas Hoult) and dog Odie (Harvey Guillén). That is until a reunion with his estranged father Vic (Samuel L Jackson) gets him roped into a dangerous scheme, orchestrated by a sinister cat named Jinx (Hannah Waddingham).
Garfield isn’t exactly sacred in terms of story, but when a film changes a character so fundamentally you have to wonder what the purpose is. After a brief and admittedly touching origin story, where we see the wide-eyed kitten Garfield find his forever home, the film turns into a heist movie that apes numerous animals-on-the-loose films, particularly Aardman’s Chicken Run. Watching Garfield become a Mission: Impossible-like hero is like watching The Minions speak perfect English. The very thing people enjoy about the character is gone, and this animated jumble just becomes family friendly fodder that will keep the kids happy while they wait for Despicable Me 4. The mundane nature of the humour is typified by the choice to include rapper Snoop Dogg as a character called Snoop Catt.
The Garfield Movie is aiming for half term success rather than artistic merit, and the colourful hijinks may keep young minds occupied for ninety minutes. Everyone else might want to take a catnap.