The Cat From Outer Space, when it was released, got average reviews. A French version was created though, if I'm not mistaken, so it wasn't a totally lame attempt.
Dat wink.
It was considered great for children and those who dislike profanity. Which is probably why it still has a rating of three stars on IMDB. That and for the sake of nostalgia.
In any case, it fell into obscurity until, like all somewhat known old school Disney productions, it was revamped and marketed with a new cover and sold in your friendly neighborhood Toys R' Us stores and Walmart 'bargain bins' as a DVD. (Shocker of all shocks! So technologically advanced! Kick that Beta Master to the curb!).
My mother, while she was going through some kind of 'Okay, I'm just going to buy Katrina everything that has anything to do with felines' phase, bought said DVD for me about seven years ago. It is the only DVD I own. I don't know what this says about me as a person.
When I watched it back then, I'm not going to lie, I fell asleep. It was four in the afternoon, too. Not really a prime time for napping. Or maybe it is. I thought it was weird and pointless and was bothered that Zunar-J-5/9 Doric-4-7's mouth didn't move when he spoke. But I've always maintained that first impressions don't mean shit when it comes to art. So I tried again.
Turns out, there were a lot of innuendos and references that went way over my head as a kid. Aside from scrutinizing the pseudo-logical aspects here and there, I enjoyed it. I did. At some point I turned my brain off and said, "Just look at the pretty kitty!"
The original poster used when it came out.
It is not a great movie. It is not an inspiring movie. It is not a movie that got any kind of award at any point. It likely never will get any award at any point ever. But it's pretty amusing, especially considering the amount of internet jokes recently suggesting all things Felidae shall come to rule the world. Maybe that's always been the joke though. Probably.
My only real criticism is that it's a hard one to watch alone. In some ways, it's a vanilla version of cult flicks like The Room. It holds much more fun and intrigue when friends are around to a) make light of it b) laugh with c) silently eat popcorn and milk duds alongside.
Voilà ici, le chat tabby de la nouveau affiche.
The only serious concerns I have, though I do appreciate its cheeky plot line, are how farmers are represented, which seems to be as nincompoops (I understand slapstick and gimmicks, but it didn't feel necessary here), and of how the cast looks like the liquid cover-up section of OfficeMax: hardcore whited-out.
But, overall, I really love the concepts the authors introduced in what was pimped out as a children's movie. Evolution, telekinesis, other worlds, alchemy. It's a nice blend of fantasy and science. I think I'm also partial to the work because the main character adopted the nickname 'Jake.' Same as my pet. Daw.
Things I admire about it:
-that muhfucka's got a fancy ass collar
-government conspiracy subplot
-PG 13 romance
-CATS
Things I am disinclined to admire about it:
-unbelievable engineering
-a little slow paced
-goofy stereotypes
Here is the introduction.
Here is a short scene.
The end.
Go forth and purrsper.
