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Saturday, November 05, 2011
The Cat from Outer Space (1978)
Category: Reviews
Comedy and cat lovers, this one’s for you! Back in the 70s, cats were no less popular, in fact this movie makes it clear they were much more, than today. But back then, Hollywood was more real than animation. So this Disney film took the pains to find the cutest Abyssinian for the role of “Jake”, a cat who (this one’s a person) lands on earth in a spaceship in a state of emergency.
Finding a brainy easygoing scientist Frank (played by Ken Berry), Jake uses his special collar to communicate his problem to the fellow. He needs help and the helping squad soon includes Frank’s fellow scientists Liz (Sandy Duncan) and Norman (McLean Stevenson). As government and a few bad guys are interested in the cat and his collar, the case grows into an exciting adventure.
Feline cuteness is the not the only charm of this funny adventure; Berry, Stevenson, and Sandy Duncan are exciting, especially when playing snooker to make the 120 grand needed for buying gold that would enable Jake’s vessel rejoin its mother ship. The special effects are appreciable in the context of the time the movie was made, easily appreciable by today’s standards. But they aren’t central to the film’s story or effect—the comedy is.
There are no boring moments in the movie. It’s a fun film to watch.
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