Havoc descends upon the Imperial Court of the Tang Dynasty when the General’s wife is possessed by an ancient demon. Through a series of unexpected twists and turns, the unlikely duo of an eccentric poet and dutiful monk, unravel the dark and ancient mystery behind a centuries-old death of a beautiful courtesan in hopes it holds the key to saving the general’s wife.
“Legend of the Demon Cat” is a silly yet popular fable set in ancient China during a re-imagining of the Tang Dynasty. The film was a massive box office hit last year in mainland China. The joint production was a partnership between China, Japan, and Hong Kong.
The story begins with a noblewoman eating lunch peacefully in a beautiful garden when a black cat approaches her. As to be expected in a movie involving a demon cat, the feline begins to speak in Mandarin and the woman becomes possessed. It turns out the noblewoman is a royal concubine to the elderly long-haired Emperor. Later that night, the emperor succumbs to a vicious curse that has been wreaking havoc on him for seven days and nights. The cat is the culprit, making things disastrous for the capital by blinding people and deceiving victims with creepy illusions of fruit and fish (This kitty definitely has claws!).
Unsure of what’s happening, the kingdom calls on two men to investigate the incidents. Kukai (Shôta Sometani) is a Japanese monk with expertise in exorcisms and Bai Letian (Xuan Huang) is a famous poet with some close ties to the kingdom (apparently the two characters are very popular in Chinese folklore). The pair are mismatched which at first is funny but the overused premise quickly grows tired. They embark on a suitably long and secretive trip but the promised intrigue doesn’t last long. In an odd screenwriting choice, by the second half, the two men are delegated to being in the backseat of the action.
Regrettably, the story isn’t the only issue, the special effects, especially on the demon cat, look beyond cartoonish. I love a good Chinese folklore tale but it’s impossible for me to be fearful of an adorable house cat. I was reminded of a combat scene from one of my favorite Kung Fu films, “House of Flying Daggers,” where Zhang Ziyi whoops dozens of large tough guys in huge restaurant. Now picture that scene but it’s a cute black cat just destroying fools and slicing them up, I almost spat my drink out at this. I love cats but they’re not compelling in a martial arts setting, maybe more in a haunted spooky Halloween story. To be fair though, there are some astonishing sets and intricate costumes but they aren’t enough to recommend this film.
Available on Blu-ray & Digital October 22nd
