The Cat Blu-ray Movie

Rating summary

Movie		3.0
Video		4.0
Audio		4.0
Extras		3.0
Overall		3.0

The Cat Blu-ray Movie Review

Reviewed by Jeffrey Kauffman September 25, 2025

Disney has repeatedly featured cats with some kind of unusual powers in several properties, ranging from The Cheshire Cat in Alice in Wonderland (which obviously had a literary imprimatur) to their Disney+ property Superkitties to (probably most saliently in this particular instance) The Cat from Outer Space. The fact that even some diehard Disney fans may not have especially strong memories of the 1978 film filled with then popular television stars like Ken Berry, Sandy Duncan, McLean Stevenson and Harry Morgan may indicate that having an extraterrestrial cat as a focal character may not result in the most appealing narrative (at least for dog lovers, and, yes, that's a joke). At least the old Disney film had a more or less straightforward plot and Disney's typically appealing special effects wizardry. If The Cat manages some charming (if now quaint looking) VFX moments itself, the plot comes under some jokingly withering analyses in some of the supplements included in this set, which may hint at a film that is undeniably gonzo but quite frequently incomprehensible.

Speaking of literary imprimaturs, The Cat is evidently based on an extremely popular series of novels which has been repeatedly adapted for both feature film and television properties. At least two feature films with central (human) character Wisely and/or Wesley (portrayed here by the comically homophonic Waise Lee) preceded The Cat, including The Seventh Curse and The Legend of Wisely (note that the link points to a Hong Kong release). That may be why this film begins almost in medias res, with Wisely describing how he comes up with ideas for stories he writes. That provides a kind of mini framing device for the opening while introducing Wisely as the audience's "stand in" for what's about to transpire.

That opening then provides a segue into the main plot machinations, which combine a kind of detective story (rather like The Cat From Outer Space) with comedic elements. The upshot is that Wisely has kind of stumbled into a mini-invasion of aliens which includes Princess (Gloria Yip) and Errol (Lau Siu-Ming), along with the mysterious feline, who turns out to be the boss (cat lovers will understand). That trio is on the hunt for an evil alien called The Star Killer, and Wisely and other assorted humans get swept up in the maelstrom. If hilarity doesn't always ensue, there's a generally affable ambience to the film that probably helps to explain why it has become something of a cult item since its release. The film does offer some fun opportunities for frankly kind of weird "action" scenes, as in a now iconic (at least to cult film lovers) fight between our titular alien and a Mastiff.

The Cat Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

The Cat is presented on Blu-ray courtesy of 88 Films with an AVC encoded 1080p transfer in 1.85:1. 88 Films tends not to provide a ton of technical information with their releases, and that's once again the case here, with only a generic "brand new 2K restoration from the original negative" offered on the back cover. The result is generally very appealing, with the one caveat that the film offers a lot of old school composited effects, all of which can tend to lead to observable variances in clarity, detail levels and grain structure. Otherwise, though, the presentation offers an often nicely robust palette (if maybe just a bit too brown at times) and commendable fine detail levels on things like the cat's bristly fur and/or whiskers. There's quite a bit of either nighttime or dimly lit material, and shadow detail is not always optimal. My score is 4.25.

The Cat Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

The Cat features an LPCM 2.0 Mono track in the original Cantonese. A glut of whimsical sound effects and a synth drenched score are two memorable aspects of the track, and those elements reverberate well, if maybe just a tad too brightly on the high end (something that's especially discernable in some of the scoring choices). Dialogue is rendered cleanly and clearly throughout. Optional English subtitles are available.

The Cat Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

• Audio Commentary by HK Cinema Expert Frank Djeng


• Japanese Cut (SD) with English Subtitles (upscaled HD; 1:37:00)


• Interview with Writer Gordon Chan offers quite a bit of information. Subtitled in English. (HD; 21:47)


• Stills Gallery (HD; 1:58)


• Trailer (HD; 4:23)

Additionally 88 Films has packaged this release rather extravagantly. An O ring encloses a sturdy and handsomely designed slipbox which itself encloses the keepcase which features a reversible sleeve. The slipbox also houses a collectible postcard and a nicely appointed 40 page perfect bound book featuring some interesting writing on the film, including That Cat is Dangerous by Paul Bramhall and Body Horror by Matthew Edwards, both of which look at Lam Nai-Choi's filmography. The booklet also contains a lot of stills and things like advertising materials and should be a treasure trove for the film's fans.

The Cat Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

The Cat is another one of those Blu-ray releases of a cult item where the film is almost pre-approved by existing fans, but which may leave newcomers either somewhat cold or confused (and possibly both). That said, 88 Films is offering a really beautifully packaged release with generally great technical merits and appealing on disc supplements, for anyone (either existing fan or newcomer) who may be considering making a purchase.