Cathy Parker

I have seen the stage production of Cats a few times and loved it, so I was a bit concerned by all the negative reviews the film was getting before I went to the cinema. However, I was captivated by the film from the very start. The cats have been described by some as creepy, but I thought they were amazing. The moving ears and tails really bring them to life and the skin-tight body suits covered in fur make them sleek, sexy and sinuous. Idris Elba is a sight to behold. The choreography was brilliant and I loved the mixture of ballet, street dance, tap and jazz. The dancing mice and cock roaches with a nod to Busby Berkeley were genius and very funny and provided some light relief from the drama and emotion of the original story. I thought the casting was spot on. I loved Judy Dench and Ian McKellen in their respective roles and thought Ray Winstone was a genius choice. Jennifer Hudson gives a very emotion performance as Grizabella. So many times I have walked out of the cinema and immediately forgotten the film I've just seen. I will not forget this film - I loved it.

This is the worst children's film I've ever seen. It is sexist and old-fashioned, like a cartoon version of a Carry On film, with the leading female dogs portrayed as a sex-crazed pest and a gold-digging, exotic dancer. There is a lot of violence, including an attempted murder, dog-fighting and arson. The film pokes fun at the relationship between the Queen and Prince Phillip, making Phillip look hen-pecked and unloved. Randomly, there is a transvestite with a beard dressed like the queen who visits the dogs' home. There was a lot of very inappropriate innuendo and sexual reference for a children's film, which made me feel very uncomfortable. I didn't laugh once and would have walked out but my friend wanted to stay. The two children sat next to me with their mum were crying because they didn't like the fight scenes and the scary dog played by Ray Winstone. Don't go and see this film, it's appalling.