Jason Derulo Slams 'Cats' Critics Over Bad Reviews

Jason Derulo's got his claws out, pushing back against critics who ain't feline fine about his new movie, "Cats" ... saying they don't know crap about making movies.

We got Jason in New York City and asked how the "Cats" cast is handling all the negative reactions to the movie adaptation. Ya might have heard -- it's been widely hailed ... an epic stinker.

Jason says critics' opinions don't carry weight ... because the folks giving the reviews have never made movies in their lives -- a classic defense.

Derulo tries to find a positive spin ... saying the Broadway production also opened to terrible reviews way back in the day, and look how that turned out! If you're not up on your theater stats ... "Cats" ran for 18 straight years in the U.S. ... a record at the time.

Jason says the visuals are so stunning -- hello, it's humans mixed with cats for goodness sake -- there's bound to be push back, and it's all part of the game when art defies norms.

Jason's got no problem ripping his critics, but the cat's got his tongue when it comes to his CGI penis, which is much smaller than the real deal.