Review: The Cat From Outer Space
05-22-02, 12:08 PM
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Review: The Cat From Outer Space
The Cat From Outer Space (1978 Disney) DVD release by Anchor Bay.
Before E.T. and before Flight of the Navigator there was The Cat From Outer Space, one of my favorite childhood movies. Why did I love it so much? It will certainly never grace any list by the AFI, but it is an imaginative romp featuring, you guessed it, a visitor from outer space who is stranded on earth and needs the help of a few friendly humans to help him escape nasty U.S. government scientists and military in order to get back home. And in this case, as you probably also guessed, the alien is a cat.
I don't think I saw this one in the theaters, but definitely saw it on television many times during my formative years. Perhaps because I always wanted a pet and was never allowed to have one, I liked The Cat From Outer Space more than I should have. I ordered the Anchor Bay release of this film a bit concerned that I would not be able to watch the film all the way through or that I would be otherwise greatly disappointed. Fortunately, I was very happy with this presentation of the film and as cheesy live-action childrens' movies go, this one isn't half bad.
THE MOVIE
There's not much more to tell about the plot, really. Jake the cat seeks help from friendly scientists because he needs to get his ship repaired in order to re-join the mother ship before it departs the solar system. Jake's collar gives him the magical ability to move objects with his mind and he can communicate through a form of telepathy. Jake's spaceship has been impounded by the military, which makes repairs difficult and this is compounded by the fact that in order to repair the spacecraft, Jake needs $120,000 worth of gold. Jake and his friends must evade the authorities, raise money and then race back to the spaceship. Of course matters are further complicated by industrial spies who find out that Jake's collar is the source of his power and want to steal the collar for their own nefarious purposes.
The acting is earnest and pleasantly goofy. The special effects are silly but fit in well with the film. Children should enjoy the film very much and adults who remember it fondly will not be disappointed. If you want a sense of what this film is like, you can think of Flight of the Navigator (although there are no children actors and no Jim Henson-esque characters) or Disney's Herbie the Lovebug films (which I do not believe are on DVD, but I also loved as a child and would greatly welcome on DVD).
EXTRAS
None unless you count the brief essay about the film on the insert. (Some studios would've plastered the back of the case with "Bonus features!!! Full-Color Collectible Insert!!!")
AUDIO and VIDEO
Anchor Bay has provided a crisp and clean transfer of the film. There are a few flaws here and there but for a film that Disney apparently couldn't even be bothered to release, it looks great. The double-sided disc offers the option of watching the film in non-anamorphic 1.66:1 widescreen or open-matte full-screen. I compared several scenes to confirm that the full-screen side is in fact open-matte, so you get a little bit of extra image at the top and bottom of the screen rather than losing a bit at the sides. There is not a great difference in the image between 1.66:1 and 1.33:1 anyway. In any case I am glad that Anchor Bay provides us with the choice of formats.
The sound is presented Dolby Digital 2.0. Nothing spectacular by any means but certainly adequate for the stock sound effects of this film.
MY TAKE
The Cat From Outer Space can be found for under $10. If you have young children and are looking for something different to show them, this is a great choice. If you are looking to relive some of your childhood, this is a great choice. If you are looking for some cheesy late-70s family oriented science fiction, this is a great choice. I greatly enjoy this one and although I'm sure you're not all clamoring to find this movie on DVD (or in fact I doubt many people will ever read this review at all), there may be someone out there wondering how this disc is... and to that person, I say "go ahead and get it." This is the best treatment this film is ever likely to get on DVD and we're lucky that Anchor Bay was able to release it at all.
Before E.T. and before Flight of the Navigator there was The Cat From Outer Space, one of my favorite childhood movies. Why did I love it so much? It will certainly never grace any list by the AFI, but it is an imaginative romp featuring, you guessed it, a visitor from outer space who is stranded on earth and needs the help of a few friendly humans to help him escape nasty U.S. government scientists and military in order to get back home. And in this case, as you probably also guessed, the alien is a cat.
I don't think I saw this one in the theaters, but definitely saw it on television many times during my formative years. Perhaps because I always wanted a pet and was never allowed to have one, I liked The Cat From Outer Space more than I should have. I ordered the Anchor Bay release of this film a bit concerned that I would not be able to watch the film all the way through or that I would be otherwise greatly disappointed. Fortunately, I was very happy with this presentation of the film and as cheesy live-action childrens' movies go, this one isn't half bad.
THE MOVIE
There's not much more to tell about the plot, really. Jake the cat seeks help from friendly scientists because he needs to get his ship repaired in order to re-join the mother ship before it departs the solar system. Jake's collar gives him the magical ability to move objects with his mind and he can communicate through a form of telepathy. Jake's spaceship has been impounded by the military, which makes repairs difficult and this is compounded by the fact that in order to repair the spacecraft, Jake needs $120,000 worth of gold. Jake and his friends must evade the authorities, raise money and then race back to the spaceship. Of course matters are further complicated by industrial spies who find out that Jake's collar is the source of his power and want to steal the collar for their own nefarious purposes.
The acting is earnest and pleasantly goofy. The special effects are silly but fit in well with the film. Children should enjoy the film very much and adults who remember it fondly will not be disappointed. If you want a sense of what this film is like, you can think of Flight of the Navigator (although there are no children actors and no Jim Henson-esque characters) or Disney's Herbie the Lovebug films (which I do not believe are on DVD, but I also loved as a child and would greatly welcome on DVD).
EXTRAS
None unless you count the brief essay about the film on the insert. (Some studios would've plastered the back of the case with "Bonus features!!! Full-Color Collectible Insert!!!")
AUDIO and VIDEO
Anchor Bay has provided a crisp and clean transfer of the film. There are a few flaws here and there but for a film that Disney apparently couldn't even be bothered to release, it looks great. The double-sided disc offers the option of watching the film in non-anamorphic 1.66:1 widescreen or open-matte full-screen. I compared several scenes to confirm that the full-screen side is in fact open-matte, so you get a little bit of extra image at the top and bottom of the screen rather than losing a bit at the sides. There is not a great difference in the image between 1.66:1 and 1.33:1 anyway. In any case I am glad that Anchor Bay provides us with the choice of formats.
The sound is presented Dolby Digital 2.0. Nothing spectacular by any means but certainly adequate for the stock sound effects of this film.
MY TAKE
The Cat From Outer Space can be found for under $10. If you have young children and are looking for something different to show them, this is a great choice. If you are looking to relive some of your childhood, this is a great choice. If you are looking for some cheesy late-70s family oriented science fiction, this is a great choice. I greatly enjoy this one and although I'm sure you're not all clamoring to find this movie on DVD (or in fact I doubt many people will ever read this review at all), there may be someone out there wondering how this disc is... and to that person, I say "go ahead and get it." This is the best treatment this film is ever likely to get on DVD and we're lucky that Anchor Bay was able to release it at all.
