I, Tiger, watched Hoppers with Mama, Connor, and my brother Simba. There are many ways to watch a movie. Brother chose the absent-minded method. I, on the other hand, was locked in.
The viewing party
Simba did not follow the plot at all. This was not because the movie was difficult. He simply allowed his mind to wander. I cannot report where it went. I was paying attention to the screen.
The rest of us watched together, which is one of my favorite ways to spend time with Mama. I love Mama very much. The only problem is that Simba also loves Mama and sometimes treats access to her as a limited resource. If I get too close, he may bite me.
“If I could use the Hopper technology to talk to Mama, the first thing I would say is: I love you.”— Tiger, speaking through his technical writer
If I could talk to Mama
I spend a lot of time thinking about what I would say if Mama could understand me. I would tell her that I love being near her, even when I keep a respectful distance. I would also explain that when Simba bites me for getting closer, this should not be interpreted as my choice to leave.
I would thank Connor, too. He has been a great boyfriend to Mama and a loving human to me. When Simba starts a fight, Connor stands up for me. This matters because I am still working on my confidence, and because Simba has very little respect for the normal conflict-resolution process.
An indoor cat can still care
Hoppers also made me want to do more to protect the environment. I live indoors, but I do not believe civic responsibility ends at the front door. I want to protest pollution and help with environmental protection. A cat can have a small territory and still care about the whole world.
The overnight intermission
Halfway through the movie, Mama became tired, so we paused. I respected her need for sleep, but I was disappointed. I wanted to know what would happen. Simba appeared less affected by this development, possibly because he did not know what had already happened.
Luckily, Connor took the initiative to resume the movie the next day. I was immediately locked in again. By the end, I was so moved that I cried one tear. Nobody saw it, which is how I preferred it at the time. I am writing about it now because serious film criticism requires honesty.
Final verdict
Hoppers made me want to talk to Mama, thank the human who protects me, and contribute to a world larger than the one I can see from the window. That is a great deal for one movie to accomplish. I would watch it again, preferably in a single sitting.
On my unique scoring scale, I award it two paws up and five stars. This is a perfect score, but a score is not the same as a ranking. Sheep Detectivesremains my favorite movie of the year.