The Garfield Movie 2024

The-Garfield-Movie-2024
The Garfield Movie

There seems to be a lack of purpose that isn’t immediately obvious, as the new Garfield movie clearly was not made for the hopes of creating a successful picture. This type of remark is typical of those addressed to comic strips, for instance, a similarly concise review of “Nancy,” a comic strip on a similar artistic and comedic minimalist level as “Garfield.” Each phrase is full of fat, and reading it requires less energy than skipping it altogether. Parents who have kids who keep asking to watch this specific “Garfield” will probably be just as resigned to this film as the people who went to watch this movie in the first instance. It’s not that bad. Perhaps saying the children will have fun is too optimistic, but it’s a reasonable conclusion to suggest they get a sense of being entertained. But the rest of the audience accompanying children may feel miserable listening to a movie that packs very little punch other than appealing to the brand. And parents are likely to have a few issues as well, which are highlighted in this article.

The iconic ‘Garfield’ comic strip was first conceived almost fifty years ago by Jim Davis. In the last 50 years or so, the central theme and characters have remained the same. A cat by the name of Garfield considers himself to be the master of the household. Of course, there is a human named Jon with whom he shares the house and one would not dare say that he is the master. As well as inside the apartment is a canine called Odie who seems to be the target of harassment and practical jokes. For all practical matters aside from work, Garfield has a special kind of loathing for Mondays. He is a cat whose favorite delicacy is lasagna, but hates it when it’s Monday.

However, what works in the setting of a four-frame comic strip does not make sense when translated into a motion picture. So, this new animated Garfield voice by Chris Pratt is a lasagna-loving cat but not the self-centered obnoxious Garfield known from the comics, books, mugs, calendars, or T-shirts. In a short flashback, the audience learns that Garfield was abandoned by his father in the back of a dumpster. Later on, Jon is a patron in an Italian restaurant, and when Garfield notices him, he sits down at his table, eats his pizza, and they become roommates since Jon appreciates the kitten.

(In this scene, Garfield comes across a depiction of Lorenzo while narrating his past, which is a reference to Lorenzo Music who was the first voice of Garfield in TV specials, animated series, video games, and advertisements.)

Garfield enjoys his life at present by taking the ease of ordering food from a drone using Jon’s phone and browsing for videos on Netflix. This time around, Odie isn’t frustrated and competes with Garfield; he considers Odie his intern. Everything seems idyllic until Garfield’s estranged father, Vic, voiced by Samuel L Jackson, returns, and suddenly, Garfield’s denial of being left behind shatters. He is not keen on having a father-son relationship with Vic but all three, including Garfield and Odie, are captured together along with Vic by a furious Jinx, who is played by Hannah Waddingham. Then the story moves into action: that is the only way they escape is by helping a giant bull called Otto save his cow girlfriend, Ethel.

The conflict and the characters’ journey are intriguing; however, the storyline is quite banal. There are graphics that are too dark or disturbing for kids but not enough comedic for grown-ups.

Garfield’s anger against his father for leaving him is an uncomfortable subject, and children might not appreciate its resolution. Otto’s separation from his love is caused by the farm being sold to the agri-business industry but this storyline is neither new nor appealing to young audience. A bird is electrocuted and killed and important figures are zapped with cattle prods and an electric fence. Many inappropriate jokes were made, including ones targeting actor Daniel Day-Lewis and a long ‘joke’ regarding road kill. The antagonists are the only two important female characters, both of whom are loud, nasty, and aggressive. A person in the cast even jokes and says, “If you have small kids, I suppose it is the right time for you to leave the room.” I suggest just moving to a better film.

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