As I have said many times before, I love Tom and Jerry. And I love Chuck Jones as well. Having the two together had potential to be a match made in heaven if done right. Jones' Tom and Jerry output has been rather hit-and-miss for me, at least it is far better than the Gene Deitch cartoons- easy feat really as anything's better than them- but the MGM/Hanna-Barbera cartoons are where you'll find the classics. Tom-ic Energy just didn't do it for me and I do have to agree that while not a disasterpiece like any of Deitch's output it is one of the weakest of Jones'. It's not all bad, the animation is good with some nice colours and fluidity- much easier on the eyes than the later entries-, the music does have memorable moments and is fitting with the atmosphere of the cartoon- essentially it is one of the more listenable scores of the Jones Tom and Jerry cartoons- and the lead characters are still likable. Unfortunately the story feels empty and virtually is plot-less. Worse is that there is very little energy to be seen so everything feels uninteresting, and it all feels like one big chase sequence that feels more like part-Roadrunner, part-Pepe LePew(as much as I do like those cartoons generally it just didn't feel like Tom and Jerry). Tom-ic Energy doesn't come across as very funny either, none of the gags are all that surprising and suffer from poor timing. While the titular characters are fine, the supporting characters are rather bland, and that is even with Mel Blanc's involvement. In conclusion, not terrible but disappointingly lacklustre. 4/10 Bethany Cox
