Cat. 8 Blu-ray Movie

Rating summary

Movie		2.5
Video		4.0
Audio		4.0
Extras		1.5
Overall		3.0

Cat. 8 Blu-ray Movie Review

Cat. not-that-great.

Reviewed by Martin Liebman September 27, 2013

Conspiracy theorists should get a kick out of Cat. 8, a fairly well made yet thoroughly generic and grossly and unnecessarily overlong made for television Disaster movie about a secret government space-based super weapon going haywire and nearly exterminating the human race. At the height of the disaster, and when fate looks bleakest, government elites and the chosen few are selected to survive in a series of impenetrable underground bunkers. All of that is straight out of "Conspiracy 101;" all that's missing are chem-trails and UFOs to complicate matters even further. But no matter the specifics that makes the plot tick. Cat. 8 plays out just like most of the other movies of its kind, with a flair for the faux dramatic and overly hyped, with nary more than a few minutes going by before it's again appropriate to mock the film with an equally overplayed "duh duh dummmmm!" catcall as the next "disaster" heads Earth's way with only minutes until impact. Fortunately, the film scrapes by with a decent enough cast and special effects that are far superior to the usual DTV trash Disaster movies. Otherwise, it's largely indistinguishable from any other yet still fundamentally entertaining, to a point, which happens to be the exact midpoint of the movie.

Nature on steroids.

Scientists are set to unveil and demonstrate a new space-based weapon for the President of the United States' awe and approval. The first test of the weapon is successful, but complications arise when the weapon malfunctions and triggers a massive solar flare that will disrupt Earth's electronic equipment and produce massive earthquakes. The result is a hit, but not one so devastating as it might have been. Disgraced scientist Michael Ranger (Matthew Modine), however, believes the government is downplaying the threat. He does all he can to convince his family and friends to seek shelter and dig in with supplies. His pleas largely fall on deaf ears; his daughter Karen (Kalinka Petrie) is too busy in love with her police trainee boyfriend Tim (Spiro Malandrakis) to take notice, at least until real disaster strikes and her father is proven correct. Now, with the country under a state of emergency and Ranger's worst fears coming to fruition, he must race against the clock to save the world before catastrophe strikes.

Cat. 8's first half isn't at all bad. While it recycles run-of-the-mill disaster fluff, it does so to fairly interesting and occasionally, albeit briefly, intense result. The chaos grows ever more quickly and exponentially, increasing from the threat of communications disruption and earthquakes -- minor things in the grand scheme of things -- to the promise of entire cities wiped off the map in a matter of moments. And that's only the disasters revealed halfway through part one. The film certainly knows its doom and how to promise maximum carnage on the lead-up to the heroes frantically searching for a way to save the day. Cat. 8 enjoys an uptick in production quality over its rivals, too. The special effects are a cut above the typical TV movie of this sort, and cleaner, better defined, more seamless visuals do go a long, long way in making this is a much more palatable, even enjoyable, experience (Asylum: take note). The direction is angular and sometimes aggressive but not to the detriment of the flow or story. The picture's look works well in conjunction with its narrative, capturing the sense of dread, unease, and danger quite well. The cast is good, too. There's not a lazy performance in the bunch, and the script is just strong enough to allow the actors room to grow and take the material seriously, two pieces that are, again, severely lacking in lesser movies of this sort.

Unfortunately, the film suffers greatly in its second half. The first ninety minutes wrap up nice and tidy to the point that the movie could be called "over" and "a success," even, an enjoyable burst of chaotic end-of-the-world fun in a slick little package. Part two feels needlessly tacked on. The film feels like it starts all over again, this time with a different crisis to solve, the only common denominator being the people the picture follows as they attempt to again avert disaster. The second half lacks the intensity of the first, try as it might to the contrary. It's not so much that it's grossly inferior, it's just that it feels completely unnecessary. Add to that the needless, time-filling micro-characterization that's admittedly not awful but certainly cliché (divorced science-minded father of teenage girl disapproves of her love life) that infests both halves and serves more to needlessly lengthen the film rather than create a heightened sense of drama or terror. The movie liberally borrows from much better Disaster movies like Deep Impact and never does find much of a unique identity outside of enjoying those increased production values over similar smaller budget TV titles. That just makes this one the cream of the crop of a tired DTV Disaster genre, which isn't a bad place to be.

Cat. 8 Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

Cat. 8's Blu-ray presentation satisfies across the board. It's very well defined, clear, and robust. Details are often striking, albeit sometimes a little flat in the classic midlevel HD video look. Clothing and facial textures are naturally excellent throughout, and the transfer picks up little wear and tear on things like the satellite dish Ranger works with near the beginning of the film. Just as important, most distant shots hold up well, showing strong definition and distinct clarity from afar. The 1.78:1 image also features a bright and bold but natural color palette. Whether holographic computer imagery at a political situation room, general clothing shades, or exterior greens, the transfer reveals an even, satisfying palette at every turn. There's not much at all in the way of noise, wayward blacks or flesh tones, or compression issues. Overall, this is a rock-solid image from Sonar Entertainment.

Cat. 8 Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

Cat. 8 blasts onto Blu-ray with a rather potent and enjoyable DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 lossless soundtrack. There's positive environmental ambience to start, a light, enveloping natural flavor that helps transport the listener into the film's world and set up the more prominent effects to come. Music presentation is smooth and enjoyable, clear across the front and enjoying light surround support. Chaotic sounds of disaster represent the highlights. As the first solar flare hits, there are several strong, robust rattles and shakes with a wide, spacious feel to the mayhem. The track introduces some positive, zipping directional effects as space debris lands on Earth, and bass really shakes when some rather large fissures open up in part two. Gunfire that punctuates the end action of episode two also plays with crisp authority, particularly impressive considering its accompaniment by other heavy rattles and rumbles. Dialogue remains firm in the center and enjoys clear delivery. All in all, a very strong track from Sonar Entertainment.

Cat. 8 Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

Cat. 8 contains two supplements.

• Interviews (HD): Short clips with Production Designer Nicolas Lepage (4:54) and Actors Matthew Modine (5:25), Kalinka Petrie (3:42), Ted Whittall (3:09), Maxim Roy (3:20), and Spiro Malandrakis (2:04) answering various questions which appear in text format.
• Sneak Peek (HD, 9:52): The first ten minutes of the film Delete.

Cat. 8 Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

Cat. 8 isn't a bad DTV Disaster movie...for the first ninety minutes. The second half feels needlessly tacked on, tackling a brand new crisis after the first had been neatly resolved. Cut the full thing off in the middle and there's a good, tidy movie. Watch through to the end and wonder why the studio added a second, needless movie to the first. Fortunately, increased production values, decent acting, and solid special effects help make the movie a better experience at any length. Sonar Entertainment's Blu-ray release of Cat. 8 features solid video and audio. A few extras are included. Worth a rental.