What the hell?!
Good aliens versus bad aliens in Hong Kong – with a cat…
If you like weird and trippy horror films that defy description, such as Nobuhiko Obayashi’s HOUSE (Japan, 1977), then this is the bizarro follow-up you’ve been waiting for.
The movie begins with a narrator divulging a strange story, though he’s not a no-neck teller of tales and we don’t jump into a musical number. The narrator’s friend had discovered blood and guts in the apartment above him – and until that morning, the place had been occupied by a man, attractive young woman, and of course, a kitty. Then the movie gets beyond strange and all hell breaks loose with flying cats, expanding mushroom-tree-blob mega-hybrids, an attractive alien woman, fleshless victims – and glitter from the sky. Stir that up and that’s THE CAT.
You see, this blob like entity is a “star killer” and the cat, also known as “The General” is out to destroy this monster that can kill people and reanimate them. Well, Wisely (Waise Lee) is just the Earth-based good looking hero to get caught up in the mess, and help save the day with Alien Girl, Gloria Yip.
Although some of the makeup effects are worthwhile, the visuals will suck your eyes from their sockets due to their innate hilarity. And with a crazed and disjointed story by Gordon and Hing-Ka Chan, you’ll wonder what the hell the pair was on as they crafted this outrageous monstrosity. The last picture directed by Lam Ngai Kai, who French film critic, Xavier Debarats perpetually compared to Ed Wood, this is clearly the foul smelling icing on his ill constructed cake.
Lam directed thirteen films and what happened to him is a mystery. Rumor has it that his 1991 venture, RIKI-OH: THE STORY OF RICKY, was equally as bad as it was trippy. As for the rest, well, it seems as if we can have a film fest to rival the body of work put forth by Mr. Wood.
The 2.5 stars is for sheer entertainment value. One will find it hard to take their eyes off the screen, and the movie is so wild, it’s hard not to enjoy. Unlike bad horrors that clog the genre, this sci-fi/horror has that something special that will make most aficionados of the genre exclaim, “I must own this!” – which may bring THE CAT to cult status. Enjoy.
2.5 out of 5 stars