ajs-10 I saw the prequel to this, Cats & Dogs (2001), a few years ago and, although I didn't agree with the sentiments expressed in the film, I kind of liked the way it was done. When this one came up on TV I decided to see if they had made any improvements in the intervening years. Well, I suppose technically, the CGI has improved, but the storytelling most certainly hasn't! Here's a brief summary before I really rip into it… I mean, give you my considered opinion.Kitty Galore is a bad cat, so bad that she wants to take over the world… Of course the dogs won't stand for this. And, so it turns out, neither will the cats. For the dogs, there's a new recruit, Diggs, a former police dog who has a problem following orders. He is partnered with Butch, a veteran agent who really knows the ropes. In their search for Kitty they find a pigeon, Seamus, who holds the key to catching her. They also find another agent, a cat called Catherine whose boss, Tab Lazenby, agrees to work together with the dogs in order to foil Kitty's evil plan. As they close in on her she begins to put her plan into effect… Will they get to her on time? I guess that's all I can say or my cats will probably do something nasty to me.First of all, the effects and the CGI were all done pretty well, but, at times, looked a bit too overdone. The voices of the main characters were provided by; James Marsden as Diggs, Nick Nolte as Butch, Christina Applegate as Catherine, Katt Williams as Seamus, Bette Midler as Kitty Galore and Roger Moore as Tab Lazenby. All were competent, but I guess it's hard to give a stellar performance in a film like this.It all started so well with James Bond style opening credits and even Shirley Bassey singing the song. Unfortunately, it went downhill from here. I know I'm not really the target audience, but I don't think even the kids will like this one much. It's almost like the writers were trying to be too clever, rather than relying on the things that work in a kid's film… visual gags. I was quite glad it wasn't a particularly long film and by the end I was glad it was over. Unfortunately, not recommended.My Score: 3.8/10 IMDb Score: 3.6/10 (4,096 votes when this review was written). Rotten Tomatoes Score: 13/100 (93 reviews counted when this review was written).

Chrysanthepop For a children's film, 'Cats & Dogs: The Revenge of Kitty Galore' is pretty much the usual generic flick. Kids would enjoy it and the adults who watch it with them might enjoy some of it. I for one enjoyed the references, especially the one to 'Silence of the Lambs'. While the human characters are boring and clichéd, most of the cats and dogs and the pigeon are likable. The voice casting (that includes stars like James Marsden, Christina Applegate, Bette Midler, Nick Nolte, Sean Hayes and more) is good too. There's plenty of action and high-tech gadgets (even though they are mostly nonsensical). Even though some of the jokes made me laugh, the writing is very amateurish. Plot holes are abundant. This really is a movie for kids (who don't question logic or the lack of it). It's downright forgettable but certainly not among the worst to come out that year.

TheLittleSongbird This is hardly a gem of a sequel, but it is not as bad as I heard people had said. I personally prefer the first, though that also had its problems. The film does look good, with striking location work and skillful-enough photography and the effects don't look cheap either. The soundtrack is a lot of fun too especially at the beginning, and the acting is decent with the human characters likable enough and Sean Hayes and Bette Midler standing out in the voice cast. The direction is at least okay. The film is too rushed though, particularly at the end, perhaps with a longer length it would have felt more steady. The script does have its clever and witty moments, but also one too many moments of stupidity, and the film is not that long I feel the story was too thin to properly sustain the running time. Overall, a decent sequel but could have been more. 5/10 Bethany Cox

stevenball2 James Marsden one of the stars of this movie hosts the Oscars this year - I wonder if anyone will make note of this - one of his lesser credits. Other stars helping out are Bette Midler as Kitty Galore & Nick Nolte as Butch - they really do put their all into it. There are many other famous humans involved - the only character that jarred me a little was the pigeon Sheamus who spoke ghetto throughout. O and did I mention that Chris O'Donnell looks smoking hot as a cop. All in all a funny movie certainly a pleasant escape movie for a rainy day. Did they really spend 85 million on this? O well I guess that means there won't be any more sequels