On the Spoiler Special podcast, Slate critics discuss movies, the occasional TV show, and, once in a blue moon, another podcast, in full spoiler-filled detail. This week, Sam Adams and Marissa Martinelli discuss Cats, the movie adaptation of Andrew Lloyd Webber's musical, which was based on poems by T.S. Eliot. Many jokes have been made about Tom Hooper’s Cats, mostly stemming from the “digital fur technology.” After the premiere, Universal Pictures released an updated version with “some improved visual effects.” But the 1981 musical wasn’t free from criticism either - yet it was still a hit. Does the movie adaptation have more of a plot? Does the star-studded cast add to the many cat introductions? Which cat at the jellicle ball will be picked for another life? And what exactly does jellicle mean? 

You can read Marissa Martinelli’s review here. 

You can read Dana Stevens’ review here. 

You can read Violet Kim interview with Cats’ ‘feline movement expert’ here and read the investigation into how many times the Cats in Cats Say “Cats” here.  

You can also check out past Spoiler Specials, and you can subscribe to the podcast on Apple Podcasts. Note: As the title indicates, spoilers galore.

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Hosts

Sam Adams is a Slate senior editor and the editor of Slate’s culture blog, Brow Beat.

Marissa Martinelli is a Slate assistant editor.

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