Review by Keith Emmerson
Stars the voices of Christina Applegate, Michael Clarke Duncan, Neil Patrick Harris, Sean Hayes, James Marsden, Nick Nolte, Joe Pantoliano, Chris O'Donnell
Written by Ron J Friedman & Steve Bencich
Certification UK U | US PG
Runtime 82 minutes
Directed by Brad Peyton
Right at this moment I'm staring at a blank Word document trying to think of something to fill the monolithically empty white space. Coincidentally, I found myself doing the very same thing at the screening of Cats & Dogs 2.
Much like the end of a rainbow or the horizon, the end of Cats & Dogs 2 seemed infinitely far away. As I repeatedly looked at my watch and reasoned that it must be over soon, at 82 minutes it felt longer than every dentist's appointment or Post Office queue stuck back to back in some sort of hellish Hollystenders Sunday omnibus.
As the subtitle suggests, the plot follows the revenge of a cat called Kitty Galore. If you're the kind of person who thinks 'Kitty Galore' is a clever pun on 'Pussy Galore' then this is the film for you. Unfortunately that does put you in the same category as the simpletons sat behind me who most likely lose afternoons trying to chase eye floaters around the room.
I was lucky enough to miss the first offering from this film franchise, if you're in the same happy boat I will explain the premise. Cats and dogs don't like each other. Indeed, we are to believe that they have evolved to a level beyond our awareness and can operate advanced spy networks for no discernible reason. References to Bond films are milked to their most arid limits, there is even a voice cameo from Sir Roger Moore - yet another way for him to sully his legendary status.
Throughout this film I struggled to reconcile how or why it would entertain children. The 3D presentation style will certainly help, but once the Bond and accompanying film references which were plainly inserted to appease parents are removed, there remains a vacuum with little to captivate young minds.
Credit must be given for the special effects; the seamless integration between live action footage and CGI was impressive, but probably wasted.