5 | / 10 |
Users | 3.5 | |
Reviewer | 3.0 | |
Overall | 3.2 |
In the age-old battle between cats and dogs, one crazed feline has taken things a paw too far. Kitty Galore, formerly an agent for cat spy organization MEOWS, has gone rogue and hatched a diabolical plan to not only bring her canine enemies to heel, but take down her former kitty comrades and make the world her scratching post. Faced with this unprecedented threat, cats and dogs will be forced to join forces for the first time in history in an unlikely alliance to save themselves -- and their humans.
Starring: James Marsden, Nick Nolte, Christina Applegate, Katt Williams, Bette MidlerFamily | 100% |
Comedy | 65% |
Action | 17% |
Video codec: MPEG-4 AVC
Video resolution: 1080p
Aspect ratio: 1.78:1
Original aspect ratio: 1.85:1
English: DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1
French: Dolby Digital 5.1
Portuguese: Dolby Digital 5.1
Spanish: Dolby Digital 5.1
English SDH, French, Portuguese, Spanish
50GB Blu-ray Disc
Two-disc set (1 BD, 1 DVD)
Digital copy (on disc)
DVD copy
Slipcover in original pressing
Region free
Movie | 2.0 | |
Video | 4.0 | |
Audio | 4.0 | |
Extras | 2.0 | |
Overall | 3.0 |
You should know from the outset that my son would write an entirely different review of The Revenge of Kitty Galore than the one you're about to read. Something along the lines of his immediate reaction to the film: "Can we watch it again, dad? Can we, can we!?" My review will be more along the lines of my immediate response: "Um... not right now, kiddo. Ask me again tomorrow." (For the record, and to my great relief, the only two films he asked about the next day were Toy Story 3 and How to Train Your Dragon. He hasn't asked about Kitty Galore since, a small miracle by any parent's standard.) Did the first Cats & Dogs even need a sequel? Critically panned and universally ignored, it was a family friendly bore at best, a joyless talking animal misfire at worst. Still, despite all its failings, it at least showed some heart. The Revenge of Kitty Galore amounts to a soulless string of dated movie references, uninspired one-liners and pop culture gags, paper-thin characters, woefully underdeveloped plotlines and CG-reliant bursts of slapsticky action. And even that may be an understatement.
Kitty Galore puts her devious plan into action...
The Revenge of Kitty Galore scampers onto Blu-ray with a strong (but imperfect) 1080p/AVC-encoded video transfer. (That's right, AVC MPEG-4. Between Cats & Dogs and Flipped, it appears Warner may finally be putting the VC-1 codec out to pasture.) Balk at the film's faux-gritty, 007 palette all you want; colors are rich, primaries are ripe, lasers and explosions light up the screen, and black levels are nice and deep (in all but a handful of problematic, effects-heavy nighttime shots). Yes, a few faces are flushed, and a few more skew a bit orange, but fleshtones (or fur-tones as it were) are generally warm and lifelike. Likewise, soft shots pop up from time to time, but none are indicative of a prevailing technical issue. Fine textures are precisely resolved, definition is crisp and clean (without the help of any egregious edge enhancement), and animal hair, practical or CG, bristles believably. Oddities abound though. While the film's grainfield is fairly consistent and largely unobtrusive, it also tends to spike rather violently; so much so that the grain sometimes becomes a ragged, blocky mess. Minor artifacting, banding and crush pop up as well, as does some negligible aliasing. Still, each eyesore is brief, fleeting and easy to overlook. Cats & Dogs may not be a great family film, but Warner's video transfer is impressive enough to prevent parents from regretting every dollar of their purchase.
Kitty Galore's rowdy DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 surround track packs plenty of puppy power, it just lacks the feline finesse of a top tier mix. Not that your kids will notice. LFE output is brassy and robust, bolstering each blaring fireball, violent rocket boost, feral roar, ferocious outburst and clanking robo-beastie Cats & Dogs has to offer. Rear speaker activity is aggressive and effective as well, making every bustling underground HQ an immersive hotspot and every carnival-ride-turned-weapon-of-mass-destruction a convincing 360-degree set piece. Christopher Lennertz's score earns its stripes as well, filling out the soundfield to enveloping ends. Better still, dynamics are bold, pans are perfectly transparent, and directionality is decidedly decent. If I have any lingering reservation, it's in regards to voiceover prioritization. Animal dialogue is occasionally overwhelmed by the ensuing spy-vs-spy chaos, drowning in the cacophony of effects, explosions and music cues that erupt throughout the film. Don't misunderstand: for the most part, the actors' voices are clear and intelligible. But every now and then, the track simply becomes too loud and labored for its own good, muffling quieter lines and dampening delicate elements in the soundscape. Be that as it may, I suspect Warner's lossless track delivers a faithful presentation of the film's ear-throttling, hyperactive sound design, and I know its target audience will be thrilled with the bombastic results.
Warner's supplemental package will appease the kiddies, and that's probably good enough for anyone who adds The Revenge of Kitty Galore to their rental queue or shopping cart.
What's a parent to do? Give in and add The Revenge of Kitty Galore to the mounting pile of subpar kiddie releases cluttering their shelves? Or simply stick with a rental and save their Amazon dollars for far better family films like Toy Story 3 and How to Train Your Dragon? For me, the answer is clear. For others, it isn't worth risking a temper tantrum. Either way, Cats & Dogs isn't quality entertainment or worthwhile family fare by any means, and deserves a special place at the bottom of the proverbial bargain bin. However, those who do fork over more cash than the rest of us will at least get their money's worth with Warner's Blu-ray release. Its supplemental package is all bark and no bite, but its video transfer is crisp and colorful, and its DTS-HD Master Audio track packs ample punch. Choose wisely, mom and dad. Choose wisely.
2001
2009
2011
2010
2010
2014
2007
Movie-Only
2011
2003
2011
2013
2005
2016
2-Disc Edition
2008
2004
2010
2018
2019
2008
2009