This is an ambitious film, with fantastic costuming and effects and some truly stunning choreography work. But, much like the stage musical before it, this adaptation of Cats suffers from its own heavy hubris; despite the presence of so much vocal talent (including Taylor Swift as Grizabella’s sister Bombalurina, who remains under Macavity’s spell, and the phenomenal Jennifer Hudson as Grizabella herself), it is weighted with melodrama and slapstick, without any real exposition or connection between scenes. Without prior knowledge of the different characters and their roles in the strange Jellicle society, even the most talented of ensembles would have had difficulty bringing any kind of cohesive story to life, let alone could they handle the delicate art of making these cat characters seem in any way real. Although they are, in some ways, meant to be caricatures of singular traits, from Rum Tum Tugger’s (Jason Derulo) troublemaking curiosity to the wanton destructiveness of the calico pair Mungojerrie (Danny Collins) and Rumpleteazer (Naoimh Morgan), it is difficult to really enjoy them, as they are little more than that. Even the sinister Macavity seems simply to want to throw a spanner in the works for anyone else to claim what he sees as his rightful prize; it isn’t made clear just why he wants a better life, or what may have occurred previously to make him believe he deserves one.