The spirit of a murdered woman takes the form of a black cat and wreaks havoc upon a Tang dynasty city, collecting debts along the way. The cat even enters dreams. She was abandoned by a heartless person whose greatest happiness was to control others. Historical figures including a famous poet, Bai Juyi, and a visiting Japanese monk, Kukai, attempt to appease the woman's restless, vengeful soul.

A real city from the past was built as the set. It took over five years and $200 million! Chen Kaige, present for this world premiere and director's cut seen at the 2018 Toronto International Film Festival, remarked that it takes eight hours to walk completely through this city. The film is worth watching for the set alone, plus the elaborate, colorful and beautiful costumes and people. I love one of the main themes of the film, which is standing up for human dignity. Legend of the Demon Cat is fast paced, which is both its weakness and its strength. Based on a bestselling novel by Baku Yumemakura.

Initially I have to say that "Legend of the Demon Cat" (aka "Kûkai") turned out better than I had anticipated it. Sure, I hadn't even heard about this 2017 movie from director Kaige Chen before now in 2020, when I sat down to watch it.

I read the synopsis and weren't overly impressed. But still, it was a Chinese movie, and one I hadn't already seen, so of course I found the time to sit down and watch it.

The storyline was interesting, and it was a nicely character driven story. Needless to say that the characters in the movie were good, because otherwise the movie wouldn't have worked out as well as it did. And they had some talented actors and actresses on the cast list.

I found the story to be entertaining, although I have to admit that the steam started to seep out of the kettle after the movie hit the 1 hour mark. Then it seemed that the storyline started to clutter and made less sense - or becoming a bit more confusing. Either way, the movie was much more enjoyable in the first hour.

"Legend of the Demon Cat" mixes a couple of genres well together, and makes for an enjoyable and entertaining movie. I am rating it a six out of ten stars.

While most people view Hollywood as the center of all things film there are some amazing movies coming out of countries like China that are getting released through companies like Well Go. These movies contain moving stories, well done special effects and some stunning cinematography. One such film is THE LEGEND OF THE DEMON CAT.

Taking place during the Tang Dynasty it involves a convoluted tale about a cat that mysteriously arrives and blesses a woman named Chunqin (Kitty Zhang Yuqi),the wife of Yunqiao (Qin Hao) the captain of the guard, with a pot of money in her yard. She shares this wealth with her husband and the film moves in a completely different direction.

Japanese Buddhist monk Kukai (Shota Sometani) has just arrived to study Chinese culture and find some scrolls and is called in to help Emperor Xuanzong (Zhang Luyi),who has been possessed. Unfortunately he arrives too late. He is provided help in the form of court poet Bai Letian (Huang Xuan). Together they follow a trail of clues to determine what happened and why.

As they look into things their path journey takes them down many paths. One is the mysterious fish eye eating cat that provided money to Yunqiao. Yunqiao used some of the money for a night at the brothel with his men. It is there the cat attacks killing one of the women there and seeking a return for his gift.

Eventually the clues leads them to the legend of Concubine Yang Guifei, considered to be the most beautiful woman in the world and consort to Emperor Xuanzong. As consort to the ruler she was treasured above all things but died mysteriously. It is her story that has been the focus of Bai's treasured poem.

What was the cause of her death? How did it come to affect what is transpiring in the present? And what connection is there between Yang and the demon cat? Much of this we learn of in a flashback sequence that shows what transpired the night of her death. But not all answers are revealed at once.

The movie is a well thought out story, taken from author Baku Yumemakura's novel, providing the clues necessary to solve the problem in a methodical fashion that holds the viewer's attention from start to finish. Combined with solid acting from all involved as well as the most sumptuous sets imaginable and the most spectacular visual feast provided by cinematographer Yu Cao this is a movie that will captivate you if given the chance.

A co-production between Chinese and Japanese studios this film was said to be one of the most expensive productions they've offered. Every penny shows up on screen and results in a beautiful film.

So many will pass by films like these, afraid to deal with subtitles or movies that offer stories that are unfamiliar or literally foreign to them. This release and more from Well Go are a wonderful way to expose yourself to films from Asia. This one is dubbed making it even more accessible. I would highly suggest watching this one to enjoy every bit of it start to finish. You might surprise yourself and enjoy it as much as I did.