As someone who is a long time fan of Garfield, this movie was disappointing. I went into the theatre with zero expectations but was still let down.
The story isn’t inherently Garfield themed. While it does have plenty of food jokes and references to the comics in the opening sequences. The rest of the movie just feels like a generic kids movie. There’s nothing about the plot that is Garfield relevant whatsoever. Just by watching the trailer, you’ve seen all there is to see.
The whole storyline with Garfield and his dad has already been seen before in countless other movies. It was predictable and each new character felt bland and unimaginative. There was no need to create a new cast of characters when the comics already have characters that they could've used. While there was plenty of Garfield and Odie, Jon was barely in the movie. Which I find to be odd, considering that Jon is a main character in the comics.The movie likes to reference things as their main jokes. But just because you reference something funny doesn’t mean it is funny.
Despite my opinions on the movie, there were some enjoyable parts. This movie has a few jokes that were funny. But the overall movie is the kind that you watch only once and easily forget about. There’s nothing new to gain from rewatching it.
Overall, it was just a generic kids movie with the Garfield name and characters slapped on there. Though it was more like the characters were just wearing the appearance of the original characters. Because it was like the movie was made by a team of people who had never read the comics. The original dynamic between characters is missing as well as huge character traits.
In closing, my hopes were low from the beginning, yet the movie couldn’t reach the bare minimum. The voice acting made the characters feel out of place and the designs of certain newer characters felt jarring and part of a different universe.