2012 Film Challenge #56 - Garfield 2 - A Tale of Two Kitties

The first post after a brief spell of absence needs gravity.

So here's a review of Garfield 2 – A Tale of Two Kitties.

As talking animal comedies go, it was surprisingly good.

Surprising, because I hadn't heard a single good thing about it in the six years since its release.

Also, it's a CG realisation of something beloved to many. That's rarely a recipe for good times.

But it really wasn't bad at all.

Obviously, it was never going to scour a deep impression across anybody's existence. Yet it doesn't punch above its weight, and neither does it rely upon cheap pop culture references and puerility.

Instead, it delivers little over an hour of amusement.

Whilst I'm exactly the sort of person who'll frequently demand more from the films I watch, sometimes to be amused is enough.

Also, Bill Murray. He gives Garfield a lazy deadpan drawl, making him sound almost as though he's stoned or demented. It's a genuine pleasure to hear, and I could listen to him all day.

There's a strange set of politics surrounding the talking animal world. They can all communicate with one another, yet though they address the humans around them, it's implied that they cannot be heard.

Odie is a mute. Poor stunted intelligence.

It's also odd that only Garfield and his British doppelgänger are realised in CG. All other animals are tremendously well-trained sacks of animated flesh.

They assembled quite an impressive roster of voices to provide the witterings of these creatures. You can pretty much die happy once you've heard Bill Murray spar with Tim Curry. Bob Hoskins also lends his absolutely adorable growl to a loveable bulldog called Churchill.

Billy Connolly appears in the flesh. He's the baddy, and his wardrobe is fantastic.

This has taken ages to write. Who knew it would be so hard to justify your enjoyment of an also-ran sequel to a forgettable-yet-lucrative kids' film?