The cat’s out of the bag. The social media embargo for The Garfield Movie ended on Sunday, and the first U.S. and U.K. audiences to see the Chris Pratt-voiced fat cat on the big screen are praising the “hiss-terical” heist movie. (The CG-animated movie has already opened in 22 other markets, including Mexico and Germany, where Garfield took a bite out of the competition as the No. 1 movie at the box office.)
The Garfield Movie is “a purrrfect adventure, layered with whisker-twitching humor and heartwarming moments just like a perfectly-crafted lasagna,” reads one reaction adding that the movie “offers layers of enjoyment for viewers of all ages to devour.” Another praised Garfield’s first fully-animated theatrical movie as “the best animated film of the year so far,” while others wrote that the movie makes up for its “somewhat formulaic plot” with heart and humor.
However, not all reviews were so positive. One critic praised Pratt for a “great and dynamic performance” as the lazy, lasagna-loving and Monday-hating comic-strip cat, but remarked that the Super Mario Bros. Movie star’s turn as Garfield is “not enough to save this trainwreck.” Another wrote that Pratt and Samuel L. Jackson, who voices Garfield’s deadbeat dad, are “perfectly cast” as feline father and son.
The new movie from director Mark Dindal (The Emperor’s New Groove, Chicken Little) follows indoor cat Garfield on a wild outdoor adventure after an unexpected reunion with his long-lost father — scruffy street cat Vic (Jackson) – that sends Garfield and dim-witted dog Odie (Harvey Guillèn) on a hilarious, high-stakes heist.
Critics’ full Garfield Movie reviews will release on May 19, the same day early access screenings will take place in select theaters. The Garfield Movie — also featuring the voices of Hannah Waddingham (The Fall Guy), Ving Rhames (Mission: Impossible), Cecily Strong (Saturday Night Live), Brett Goldstein (Ted Lasso), Bown Yang (SNL), Janelle James (Abbott Elementary), Snoop Dogg (The Underdoggs), and Nicholas Hoult as Jon — is in U.S. theaters May 24.
