Cats Review: 3 Ups & 7 Downs

2. The Strong Singing & Dancing

In one respect Cats actually gets the most important part right: the singing is, for the most part, very good, even if it's often tough to fully appreciate given the highly distracting nature of the CGI.

Jennifer Hudson is the easy show-stealer as Grizabella, giving a genuinely stirring rendition of "Memory" that's far better than the rest of the film deserves, really.

Taylor Swift is also surprisingly excellent as Bombalurina, and her performance of "Macavity: The Mystery Cat" alongside Idris Elba is a rare instance of the film finally nailing the high-camp tone it should've held throughout. Singing in a British accent as she drugs a room full of cats with catnip, she's an absolute delight.

The dance choreography is also strong across the board, so it's a shame that Hooper's lackluster direction often captures it in ways both dull and uncinematic.