So... I LOVE the stage version. I saw it a couple of times, and it was a fave soundtrack growing up (my wife bought me a copy of Old Possum’s Book of Practical Cats a few years ago). That said...
It looks remarkably true to how I remember it. At least visually. Dialogue is... New. I get it though. The narrative of Cats is pretty abstract (cats “competing” to ascend to the Heaviside Layer), and needs the dialogue to make sense.
I saw it getting dragged hard on Twitter. The screen grabs make it look deserved. And Tom Hooper is a hack. But, damn, when they’re in motion, I get it and I dig it.
And Jason Derulo as Rum Tum Tugger is tops.
Edit - Corrected Jeliside to Heavyside. The Jelleside Layer is our world (all the cats are "Jellecle Cats"). Heavyside is "heaven." And, yes, my nerdiness is showing.