The Garfield Movie

I have been waiting from this film since it was announced during the pandemic back in 2021 but it suddenly got delayed multiple times and at some point many stuff was leaked before release teasing that something was going wrong during production, after the film finally released I realize I was right. The film feels like a less special Garfield version of The Peanuts Movie which instead commits the same mistakes as Toy Story 4 by getting less focus of the iconic characters like Jon Arbuckle and Nermal over new ones like Garfield's father Vic in a mostly boring robbery storyline that you can feel was chopped during production as many scenes feel disconnected and with weird pacing and tonal issues.

"Garfield" is a movie for the whole family. Despite being silly in most cases, it has a very childlike aspect with some sharp jokes. It's a 6/6.5 movie, but it manages to entertain children in particular. It's not like the old animated Garfield; however, it is still a pleasant film. I believe that, for the adult audience, it can be silly in many parts; however, there are some parts of the movie that can please both audiences. The sharp jokes that "Garfield" makes can get some laughs out of us. It is not a movie that will please 100% of the adult audience due to its silliness, but it can be enjoyable for some people.

As someone who was genuinely excited about Garfield 2024, I found it to be incredibly disappointing. My expectations were high, but the film failed to meet them on nearly every level. This film had the potential to bring the beloved, lasagna-loving cat back to the forefront of popular culture, but instead, it felt like a missed opportunity.

Firstly, the storyline was lackluster and uninspired. Garfield, a character known for his witty remarks and clever humor, was relegated to a series of uninspired jokes and predictable plot points. The narrative lacked the cleverness and charm that made Garfield a household name in the first place. Instead of the sharp, sarcastic humor fans have come to expect, the film relied heavily on slapstick comedy and tired clichés, which felt out of place for a character like Garfield.

The animation style also left much to be desired. While advances in animation technology have allowed for more realistic and detailed visuals, Garfield 2024's animation felt oddly lifeless. The characters, especially Garfield, lacked the expressive quality that made the original comic strips and earlier adaptations so endearing. The film's attempt to modernize Garfield's look resulted in a character that felt distant and unrelatable. The charm and warmth of the hand-drawn Garfield were lost in the transition to a more polished, yet sterile, digital form.

Moreover, the voice acting was another area where the film fell short. The choice of voice actor for Garfield was crucial, as the character's dry, sarcastic delivery is one of his most defining traits. Unfortunately, the performance felt flat and uninspired, lacking the nuance and timing needed to bring Garfield's personality to life. This was a significant letdown, as the voice is a critical component of the character's identity.

The supporting characters, including Jon and Odie, were also poorly handled. Jon, who should be the lovable, bumbling foil to Garfield's antics, was portrayed as overly dramatic and whiny, making it hard to sympathize with him. Odie, usually the simple yet lovable dog, was reduced to a mere background character with little impact on the story.

One of the most significant disappointments was the film's failure to capture the essence of what makes Garfield so enduring. The original comic strips and earlier adaptations balanced humor with a sense of heart and relatability. Garfield's laziness, love of food, and disdain for Mondays are characteristics that many people can identify with, making him a beloved character. However, Garfield 2024 seemed to forget these core elements, opting instead for a generic, cookie-cutter approach that stripped away the uniqueness of the character.

Additionally, the film's pacing was off, making it difficult to stay engaged. Scenes dragged on without contributing to the overall narrative, and the jokes often fell flat. The lack of a compelling storyline or character development made it hard to invest in the film, and by the end, it felt more like a chore to watch rather than an enjoyable experience.

Garfield 2024 was a major disappointment. As someone genuinely excited about the film, I was left feeling let down and frustrated. The lackluster storyline, uninspired animation, poor voice acting, and mishandling of beloved characters all contributed to a film that failed to live up to its potential. Garfield deserved better, and so did the fans who were eagerly awaiting his return. This film missed the mark in almost every aspect, turning what should have been a delightful revival into a forgettable and frustrating experience.

I came to the movie to see the Garfield that I used to love from the comics from when I was a kid, and I definitely got that. The drawing style of all the characters was very recognizable and the slapstick humor that I wanted to see was present throughout the whole movie.

I must say the voice of Chris Pratt was better than expected and I think it did the character justice. Not a single moment did it not come across as unbelievable. The other voice actors were perfect and wonderfully exaggerated at moments, which fits the movie perfectly.

Jon didn't have a very big role in the movie, unfortunately, but when he was there he was like Jon was supposed to be. A bit goofy and funny.

Odie, however, was not very much like the character in the comics in my opinion. He used to be an abused sidekick that was basically always in the way and very stupid, but here he was the Robin that did everything for Garfield and he got credit for it as well. Modern times I suppose.

The plot is far fetched, the story is weird and has holes, but all that doesn't matter because it technically is a children's movie. I enjoyed the jokes and the animation quite a lot and so did my kids.

Don't compare it to the 2004 movie.

In 1976, the comic called 'Jon' by comic book artist Jim Davis was published locally in the Pendleton Times. The comic was so successful that it was published nationwide under the name Garfield in 1978 and since then the greedy orange cat with a heart of gold has become indispensable. The drawing style was changed in 1984 to a more cartoon--like style as we actually know it well now. In 2002 was one of the most printed comics in the newspaper in 2570 newspapers worldwide with 263 million readers. Now with different animation series and different films we now get to see the second cinema film about the orange hangover. This time voiced by Chris Pratt as Garfield, who of course had a lot of success in recording Mario's voice in The Super Mario Bros. Movie. Samuel L. Jackson speaks the voice of Garfield's father Vic and so we can mention a whole bunch of celebrities. In the Dutch version, these are Jim Bakkum and Jörgen Raymann who record the voices of Garfield and his father Vic. Either way, the film promises a lot of fun, fun and action.

With many delays and postponements of the release date, of course due to the pandemic and problems with production, the time has finally come. In a kind of origin--like story telling, we see how a baby Garfield is just left behind by his father Vic. The story actually focuses a lot on that and because of this a main character like Jon is pushed back. When Garfield and his loyal buddy Odie are kidnapped, they end up with the crazy cat Jinx and her two mean service dogs Roland and Nolan. But why is Garfield actually kidnapped out of nowhere? That becomes clear when Vic appears on stage, but of course Garfield doesn't want to know anything about Vic at all. We all understand that leaving Garfield when he was still a kitten had a different reason than that you would think at first glance and that is quite a shame, because it makes the film very predictable for the older viewers. You notice from this that a film like this is really made for an audience under 10 years old, but don't be put off, because apart from that fact, the film is really entertaining for an older audience.

The animation itself is average and nothing more than that. Nowadays it is difficult for most animated films to say anything about it, given that it is most similar in style. Well, well it was not expected in advance that we would get to see an artistic masterpiece, so in that respect the film succeeds in that area with flying colours. The music was a positive point, this was in the hands of composer John Debney and at some points the music was completely reminiscent of the beautiful melancholic sounds that Thomas Newman often makes. In the end, the big picture is crazy fun and you won't be bored for seconds. The humor is good and fun and things like Catflix where Garfield watches cat movies are hilarious. In the end, you have to stay there during the credits for the funny cat movies that continue to play when the credits start rolling.

Garfield has become a successful and funny movie for the whole family. The jokes are fun, the animation is fine and Garfield and Odie get the laughs on their hands very often. Perhaps the predictability of the film could have been a little less, because this actually only makes the film suitable for children up to 10 years old, but well, this is not something you should also care about, because the film is just too fun for that. The animation itself is standard, doesn't excel in anything, but that's fine. The music pops out and from time to time it is reminiscent of a soundtrack that Thomas Newman could have made. Just stay seated at the end credits too because the crazy cat movies that Garfield watches on Catflix make for a last smile on the face.