This review was made possible by an advance screening of The Garfield Movie. The Garfield Movie releases in theaters on May 24.
He’s back, and I’m not talking about Chris Pratt, who’s voicing an animated character for the second year in a row. Garfield is back on our big screens, and it has been a while since the last time, which was in 2006, and in live action. Now our favourite big cat is back in fully animated glory (as he should be). This film has it all, from Garfield to cheese to Odie to cheese to Heists and even some more cheese. Trust me, the cheese in this film never stops and will have you wanting to grab a slice of pizza or some lasagna.
A Purr-Fect Plot
The Garfield Movie follows Garfield (Chris Pratt), who, after sneaking for a midnight snack with Odie, gets kidnapped and thrown into the adventure of a lifetime! Reunited with his long-lost father, a scruffy street cat named Vic (Samuel L. Jackson), Garfield and Odie are forced from their perfect indoor lives into joining Vic in a hilarious, high-stakes heist
As a kid, I loved the live-action Garfield films, but on a recent watch, they left a sour taste in my mouth. I also lost full interest in this movie but still went in open-minded, hoping that I’d at least come out having had some fun. I had more than just fun after watching this film; there’s so much to love that I don’t know where to begin, but I will start with the elephant in the room. Chris Pratt.
Though he’s not the best voice actor in the world, he’s an actor, and I don’t mind seeing his name on the cast list for an animated film. He did a great job with Emmet in The Lego Movie and in The Super Mario Bros. Movie as Mario, and he also does a fantastic job as Garfield. Garfield is a cat that’s known for being lazy and just sounding snarky, and though Chris Pratt sort of sounds like himself for the most part, it ends up working really well.
The most important thing about a kid’s film is that it should be able to make them laugh, and not only does this film do that, but it’s also capable of making adults laugh too. A problem that a lot of kid films suffer from is that they rely too much on something we call fart humour. Illumination is unfortunately known for doing this a lot, which is why I struggle to laugh a lot during their films.
The Garfield Movie instead uses real humour to make the audience laugh, and by that, I mean that it centres its jokes around Garfield himself, his hatred for Mondays, his love for cheese, pizza, and lasagna, and just food overall. In fact, food is so central to the film that it’s not only just used for jokes but becomes a relevant part of the plot and is used in a creative way.
Garfield, Vic and Odie: The Dynamic Duos
The Garfield Movie gives us the best interpretation of Garfield and Odie’s relationship, and that’s how I want it to be depicted from now on. It’s normally made out to look like bullying, which just becomes unfunny after a while, but they flip it around with Garfield being friends with him, acting more loving and caring towards him while also using him essentially as a butler at the same time.
Odie also gets some focus, with him constantly tired of Garfield’s antics, helping him become a better cat, and, at times, refusing to listen to Garfield until he learns the hard way. This relationship between the pair is a touching one that just makes me want to see more of them on my screen, and I’d happily take another one of these films or even a spin-off that focuses on Odie himself.
The easiest way to describe Garfield and Odie is by comparing them to Batman and Alfred; their relationship feels most representative of how they are in the film. Odie really helped with the humour, especially as he doesn’t talk like all the other characters, so it’s all through visuals such as the various ways he barks at the enemies or Garfield, just watching him in the background doing something that leads into a funny scene later, and once again, just the way he treats Garfield overall. Odie is truly the highlight of the film when it comes to its characters.
The relationship handled between Garfield and his father, Vic, is one that was way more emotional than I expected. It seems predictable how their story is going to play out, but then the film throws you for an extra loop with its third act, which is just wild, fun, and creative with how the whole scenario plays out. Samuel L. Jackson also does a wonderful job voicing Vic and brings the same cadence that Chris Pratt brings to Garfield.
Paws-itively Great Villains
The best performance has to come from the villains of the story, as I personally couldn’t tell that Hannah Waddingham, Brett Goldstein, and Bowen Yang were even in this film until the credits rolled. They did such a phenomenal job with their characters, and though I thought Jinx, whom Hannah Waddingham voices, wasn’t all that strong of a villain, and that might’ve been due to her lesser presence in the film, Roland and Nolan, who are her henchmen and voiced by Brett Goldstein and Bowen Yang, respectively, were amazing as villains as they constantly stalked Garfield and the gang, bringing some great humour to the film.
Top-Tier Animation
A major highlight of the film comes from its animation. We seem to be in an age where animated films are experimenting with their animation instead of going for a standard 3D look. The Garfield Movie is animated by DNEG Animation, the same studio that provided animation for Nimona. It’s beautiful how it blends the 3D animation with 2D in certain moments, making the film look unique and visually stunning.
Truly, the only issue with this film is its product placement. It’s a lot, and it ranges from Sony (obviously) to Olive Garden. A lot of the product placement is food-related, and for that reason, I can kind of ignore it as food is a central talking point in the film, thanks to Garfield, but at the same time, how much can we take in a film before the entire movie loses purpose and just becomes an hour-plus advertisement? The product placement isn’t the only meta thing about The Garfield Movie.
Someone at Sony is a big fan of Tom Cruise, as there are a few scenes that reference two movies he features in while also playing the licensed music from those respective films.
Final Thoughts
The Garfield Movie is easily the best Garfield film and possibly the best Garfield project we’ve had in decades. It’s hilarious, daring, emotional, and, surprisingly, has well-written characters with fully fleshed-out arcs that both Garfield and Vic go through. There are even characters with minimal screen time, such as Jon, who steals the moment any time we get to see them on screen.
I’m someone who agrees that not everything needs a sequel, but I want numerous sequels for this film, with spin-offs that can focus on other characters from the comics who can hopefully make their appearance in the future. Dare I say it, but The Garfield Movie is officially one of the best comic book movies that I’ve ever watched in my entire life and is also the best-animated film to release this year thus far.
The Garfield Movie releases in theaters on May 24. Check out the trailer below.
All images courtesy of Sony Pictures.
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The Review
The Garfield Movie
If you’re a fan of Tom Cruise movies such as 'Mission Impossible' and 'Top Gun', then you should already have a ticket booked for 'The Garfield Movie'. It is everything those movies are, but better. It has intense breakout scenes—scenes that will break your heart, make you laugh, and make you hungry.