MOVIE REVIEW: Tom & Jerry (2021)
Tom and Jerry is a 2021 live-action and animation mix film made by Tim Story. And just like its genre, it is a mix of hit and miss as it never centers around the main characters, but is still decent enough for a one-time watch.
The main problem with this film is that it never focuses on Tom and Jerry but instead leans the spotlight on Kayla, who wants to show that she can be reliable by applying at a luxurious hotel. Even that is questionable for a kid’s movie as she fools a woman and takes her place. That’s not a lesson we would want to teach our kids. The logic of the film is another drawback. Yes, it’s Tom & Jerry but it’s also a live-action film with humans. Straight after seeing the trailer, I knew this was not going to work. If Tom & Jerry do stupid stuff then it’s fine but you surely won’t expect that from the human characters. There are many scenes like these such as hiring Tom and interacting with them as if they’re humans.
Of course, that doesn’t take away the fact that this is still a very enjoyable movie to watch. It is very fun and exciting, and all wrapped within a crazy battle between two long, well-known frenemies. I personally also love how just when things got boring, they found a way to make things better. At its best, it feels like a very elaborate episode of Tom and Jerry and at its worst, it’s another lazily written cash grab.
The score is forgettable but the constant usage of 21st-century music does cover for it. The acting is decent enough with Michael Pena easily the standout. Chloe Grace Moretz is also a delight to watch while Colin Jost and Pallavi Sharda do well with what they were given.
Overall, it’s not a bad movie, but it’s just another generic WB kids film aiming more on the current generation rather than bringing a new legacy for the cat mouse fights to the new audience. It’s not great but it’s fine as long as you don’t expect anything more than a long episode of Tom and Jerry. Then again, what were we expecting?
