The Wasteland Reviewer

The Garfield Movie (2024) Written Review

Why do they keep doing this to classic cartoons? Audiences have been treated to (or tortured with) so many remakes of classic cartoons that it just might be about time to retire such a practice. After The Garfield Movie, that should probably be closer to reality for audiences’ sake. We keep seeing these old cartoons getting “modernized”. What does that really mean? It basically just means taking the look of the characters and their names and plastering them on crazy fever dream type animated adventures that make zero sense and keep up a breakneck pace. But the big issue is that they do not include any of the core elements of the source material to really reflect the work in the stories. 

Does The Garfield Movie avoid this growth design of apathy and disinterest in this beloved franchise? The biggest issue is that the stories never truly feel like they are honoring what made those works great in the first place. The first ten minutes of The Garfield Movie feels like a Garfield movie. The beats lean into Garfield, being obsessed with food (even in his sleep). There is not a ton of depth to this iconic character. He loves to eat, sleep, and hates Monday. But this film decides to create a big “missing father” storyline with a criminal underworld all thrown into a heist film.  All of it was just so unbelievable. This all feels like uninspired excuses to keep the film going at a breakneck pace, so the children don’t get bored. Few animated films trust kids enough to enjoy a well-structured and thought-out film. 

Is this crazy, over-the-top story at least entertaining? One some level. The film is certainly watchable but that does not make it good. There are a few moments of laughter when Mark Dinhal (director) focuses on the elements that work best for Garfield. But there is just way too much going on in this film to keep a cohesive and engaging narrative. There is never enough time to focus on these characters and give them depth. All of them have a trait or two and that is it. Some of the voice performers make the most of it (get to that in a minute) but otherwise the characters are just boring. The narrative has whole threads that are meaningless and just take away from the story (there is a security guard character that feels so out of place but takes up way too much time of the story). There is a start and go pace to the narrative as well with story decisions that screech the film to a halt. At least the final 5 minutes or so remember that this is a Garfield film. 

How about those voice performers? Chris Pratt drops his voice a bit…and that is it. He is fine and gets a few laughs, but he just doesn’t feel like Garfield. Harvey Guillen is Odie and has fun making all the dog sounds. Nicholas Hoult is Jon who just screams and is manic for the whole film…which he is barely in. Samuel L. Jackson is just doing his thing. Hannah Waddington is a standout who is deliciously eating up her “drinks milk from a martini glass” villain. Ving Rhames is a ton of fun as a bull who feels forced into this story for convenience. There are other talented performers in this film as well, but this material just leaves them hanging out there. 

Is The Garfield Movie a fun time for the whole family? This will probably successfully distract the children for its runtime. But the adults in the room will be rolling their eyes and resigned from this bland and erratic story that is convoluted to a fault. This film just feels shameless…like a film that would cast Snoop Dogg as a cat for a role that lasts less than two minutes just for the stunt casting. But you can at least watch Catflix…or order from the Walmart app…or any of the other numerous product placements in the film.