THE CAT (1992)
Label: 88 Films
Region Code: A, B
Rating: Unrated
Duration: 89 Minutes 20 Seconds
Audio: Cantonese DTS-HD MA 2.0 Dual-Mono with Optional English Subtitles
Video: 1080p HD Widescreen (1.85:1)
Director: Lan Nai-Choi
Cast: Gloria Yip, Wais Lee, Christine Ng, Lau Sui-Ming, Lawrence Lau, Philip Kwok, Ni Kuang
The Cat (1992) is an bonkers adaptation of the novel Old Cat, by Ni Kuang, directed by Lan Nai-Choi (The Seventh Curse) for Golden Harvest, a wild slice of Chinese sci-fi about a black cat from outer space who has teamed up with a young alien girl (Gloria Yip, Riki-Oh: The Story of Ricky) and her knight-protector Errol (Lau Siu-ming, A Chinese Ghost Story) to fight a murderous alien fungus called The Star Killer, that has newly arrived on earth. The trios alien-fighting encounters and quest to steal a mysterious ancient octagonal relic from museum catches the attention of local police inspector Wang Chieh-Mei (Philip Kwok, Five Deadly Venoms), and his pal Wisely (Waise Lee, A Chinese Ghost Story), who is an adventure seeking novelist and playboy, a character who has appeared in over 150 stories, and whom also appeared in The Seventh Curse, though played by someone else. Wisely and Wang on the trail of the cat ad his alien pals approach a collector or rare dog species named Chen (Ni Kuang, The Seventh Curse) and borrow a well-bred dog named Lao Pu to track down the cat, resulting in an encounter at a museum, but the cat and his alien pals escape, with Wisely theorizing that cat and his pals might be aliens. A short time later Wang and other officers encounter the alien fungus and are defeated by it, torn apart and melted, but the alien possesses their bodies and begins to use them as minions to rid itself of it's alien pursuers and Wisely. Eventually the aliens reveal themselves to Wisely and they team-up to defeat the fungal-alien in a delirious and totally bonkers finale that left me gobsmacked.
I have only just recently learned of this film's existence, a special features on the Vinegar Syndrome release of The Seventh Curse featured clips from the film and they looked wild, but even that brief primer did not prepare me for what a unhinged and bonkers flick this would be. This comes off as The Blob and The Thing by way of The Hidden and Disney's The Cat from Outer Space, complete with mind-melting practical special effects with rubber monsters galore, gooey body swaps, gross cat guts, and some acrobatic cat vs dog kung-fu action that almost broke my mind. I guess if you are familiar with director Lan Nai-Choi's other nutso flicks like fantasy-adventure The Seventh Curse or bonker action film Riki-Oh: The Story of Ricky you might be primed for what's to comes, but even still, this is the sort of bonkers and mind-melting sci-fi action that could have only come from Honk Kong, it's wild stuff and highly recommended.
Audio/Video: The Cat (1992) arrives on region A,B Blu-ray from 88 Films in 1080p HD framed in 1.85:1 widescreen. This represents a new 2K restoration from the original negative with a remastered original Cantonese mono audio via DTS-HD MA 2.0 with newly translated English subtitles, and it looks and sounds terrific.
Extras include a new 21-min Interview with Writer Gordon Chan who talks about adapting the source novel into a screenplay, explaining what's easy to put into words does not always easily translate into a screenplay, noting changes in the script during shooting, collaborating the with co-screenwriters Kim Yip and Chan Hing-Ki, and their roundabout and chaotic way of writing. He also notes that a couple of cats died during the production, and that black cats were difficult to find in Hong Kong at the time, the tone of the film, the alternate Japanese version, how sci-fi is not a huge draw in HK with audiences preference supernatural over sci-fi, and his thoughts on cult films.
We also get a terrific Audio Commentary by Frank Djeng (NY Asian Film Festival) that notes the source material, the adaptation, the cast and crew, and helping me better understand the film, which I appreciated. A very cool extras is the 97-min Japanese Cut of the film in SD, presented letterboxed with Japanese audio and English subtitles, and alternate Japanese version of the film shot with Japanese actors, not unlike the 1931 Spanish Dracula film. Disc extras are buttoned-up with a 2-min Image Gallery and the 2-min Trailer.
88 Films packaging presentation for this is top-notch. We get a Limited Edition Rigid Slip Box with new artwork by Sean Longmore with spot-gloss highlights, inside of which is a full-height clear keepcase with a Reversible Wrap featuring the new Longmore artwork and the original HK artwork. inside of that we get a 2-sided Limited Edition Premium Art Card featuring both artwork, plus a
Limited Edition 40-Page Perfect Bound Book with new writing on the film. We get That Cat is Dangerous - A retrospective Look at the Filmography of Lam Nai-Choi by Paul Bramhall, plus Body Horror - The Warped Cinema of Lam Nai-Choi by Matthews Edward, as well as cast and crew information. Also included is a Slipcover with the same terrific Longmore artwork that slides not over the keepcase, but over the entre Rigid Slip Box, which I thought was a very classy touch.
Special Features:
- Limited Edition Rigid Slip Box with New Artwork by Sean Longmore
- Limited Edition 40-Page Perfect Bound Book
- Limited Edition Premium Art Card
- Brand New 2K Restoration from the Original Negative
- High Definition Blu-ray Presentation in original 1.85:1 Aspect Ratio
- Remastered Original Cantonese Monaural Soundtrack
- Newly Translated English Subtitles
- Audio Commentary by Frank Djeng (NY Asian Film Festival)
- Japanese Cut [SD] with English Subtitles (Letterboxed, 97:00)
- Brand New Film Interview with Writer Gordon Chan (21:47)
- Image Gallery (1:58)
- Trailer (2:23)
- Reversible Sleeve featuring original Hong Kong Poster Artwork
Screenshots from the 88 Films Blu-ray:
Extras:
