4.4 | / 10 |
Users | 3.2 | |
Reviewer | 3.0 | |
Overall | 3.2 |
Sally and Conrad, different as black and white, have pushed their single mom, Joan Walden, to the limit. Conrad endlessly breaks the rules rule and Sally, though well-behaved, has bossed away every friend she has. And on the Saturday that Joan is to host her company's party, her preparations have fallen prey to Conrad's shenanigans. Thus, she lays down a mom-sized decree: Sally and Conrad are not to leave the house while she is at work; furthermore, they are forbidden from making a mess or misbehaving in any way. While she's away, suddenly an unexpected guest--a six-foot-tall talking feline, sporting a red-and-white-striped stovepipe hat--appears. The original party animal himself arrives to turn their world upside down by showing Sally and Conrad that "it's good to have fun--but you have to know how!"
Starring: Mike Myers, Alec Baldwin, Kelly Preston, Dakota Fanning, Spencer BreslinFamily | 100% |
Comedy | 96% |
Animation | 71% |
Fantasy | 38% |
Video codec: VC-1
Video resolution: 1080p
Aspect ratio: 1.85:1
Original aspect ratio: 1.85:1
English: DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 (48kHz, 24-bit)
French: DTS 5.1 (48kHz, 24-bit)
Spanish: DTS 5.1 (48kHz, 24-bit)
English SDH, French, Spanish
50GB Blu-ray Disc
Single disc (1 BD)
BD-Live
D-Box
Region A, B (C untested)
Movie | 1.5 | |
Video | 4.5 | |
Audio | 3.5 | |
Extras | 2.5 | |
Overall | 3.0 |
There are only a select few feature films based on Dr. Seuss stories. One of the most recent of them, Jimmy Hayward and Steve Martino's CG-animated Horton Hears a Who!, is nothing short of a how-to guide to adapting Dr. Seuss for the big screen. It both reveres and reinvents the original tale, and does so with the utmost respect and love for the famed author's more whimsical flourishes, colorful cast of characters, and playful text (and not-so-playful subtext). The first two, though -- Ron Howard's How the Grinch Stole Christmas and director Bo Welch's universally panned The Cat in the Hat -- are nothing less than Hollywood cautionary tales; battered, mud-spattered road signs that read, in big blocky black letters, WRONG WAY. Howard's Grinch isn't nearly as unwatchable (or unredeemable) as Welch's reviled Cat in the Hat, I'll grant you that, but both dismantle and diminish the magic of their original stories, allow a comedian to overindulge himself at the expense of an already bloated production, and overlook and undermine the simplicity and spirit that have helped Seuss' tales endure the test of time. Cat takes its disregard for its source one unbearable step further, though, chewing, swallowing and coughing up the children's classic kids of all ages have adored for more than fifty years.
"No! No! Make that cat go away! Tell that Cat in the Hat you do not want to play."
Shifting gears for a moment, let's pretend The Cat in the Hat is a masterpiece and examine its 1080p/VC-1 encoded video transfer accordingly. If I had any love for Welch's adaptation, I would be absolutely ecstatic with Universal's high definition presentation. I don't like the film one bit and I still found myself getting a little excited by its top-drawer treatment. Colors are bold and blazing, primaries are perfect for inducing a migraine, skintones somehow retain their lifelike appearance, and black levels are rich and inky. Contrast is spot on as well, and the image is sharp as a tack; the only exceptions being those scenes that rely on copious amounts of CG, some of which are hindered by a slightly softer image. Still, there's no sign of any DNR or overzealous edge enhancement, and every last detail present in Emmanuel Lubezki's original photography has been preserved and primed for your viewing pleasure. Textures are crisp and clean, edges are sharp and refined, and what little grain there is (imperceptible as it tends to be) hasn't been touched. Better still, there aren't any oddities to report. No artifacting, no banding, no aliasing, no smearing, no significant edge halos, no unwanted ingredients that might spoil the stew. Come to think of it, it's one of the more impressive Universal catalog presentations in recent memory. Who knew?
Bright and playful as it is, The Cat in the Hat's DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 surround track is surprisingly front-heavy at times, although I have little doubt any shortcomings trace back to the film's sound design. Dialogue fills out the front of the soundfield nicely, with clear, intelligible voices and very few lines that get overwhelmed by the Cat's chaos. The rear speakers pick and choose their moments to shine -- some effects assault the listener, others are anchored to either side of the screen -- but the soundfield makes up for its less-than-immersive immersion with antsy aggression and a string of over-the-top whizzes and bangs. LFE output is more commendable, despite the fact that it abandons David Newman's music to lend its weight to whatever explosions, roaring inventions, or wacky waterfalls the Walden kids encounter. Even then, the best of the low-end shenanigans aren't nearly as punchy or larger-than-life as the film's visuals. Ultimately, middling prioritization and hit-or-miss directionality are the real troublemakers here, making The Cat in the Hat's lossless mix a fun but inconsistent experience that doesn't boast the precision or prowess that would help the on-screen insanity come alive. Serviceable? Definitely. Above average? I won't argue. As remarkable as the film's video transfer, though? I certainly wouldn't go that far. This Cat looks much better than it sounds.
And our fish came down, too. He fell into a pot! He said, "Do I like this? Oh, no! I do not. This is not a good game," said our fish as he lit. "No, I do not like it, Not one little bit!" I didn't laugh my way through The Cat in the Hat, I sighed. I didn't enjoy my time with the Walden children, I kept glancing at the clock. I didn't have fun with Myers' Cat, I just got a little sick to my stomach. Nothing about The Cat in the Hat lives up to the classic children's book that inspired it. It's forced, irritating, bloated (even if at 82-minutes) and wholly unremarkable. Fortunately, Universal's Blu-ray release is another story thanks to a near-perfect video transfer, a decent DTS-HD Master Audio track, and a number of extras. For some, The Cat in the Hat is a guilty pleasure. For me, it's one of the worst movies of all time. I'd recommend proceeding with caution.
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