Lily C.A.T is a 1987 science fiction/horror anime film written and directed by Hisayuki Toriumi. The film centres around the expendable crew of a caproate spaceship that must stop a murderous shape-shifting alien. Lily C.A.T is a fun entertaining anime film that any fan of old sci-fi horror films primary Alien and The Thing will enjoy.
The direction in the film is good. The film is very much an Alien knock off with a horror movie set on a ship in space, with rag tag crew of truckers in space. The crew very much feels like a bunch of serotypes as they are characters from all corners of the world. the film has an eerie alien-esc feel as well as a moody feel to it. The film has a HR Giger ecstatic to it as space feels big lonely and scary. The film wears its alien influences in its sleeve with a scene in a vent as well as an Alien like tracker scene. It turns out that a criminal has snuck into the ship which has an element of mystery to it and is an interesting concept as criminals would sneak into these ships to use the cryogenic chambers aa when they get back to earth all will be forgotten. The spaceship in the is creaky, leaking and rubbish witch links into the paranoia of the film which is further highlighted by the alien looking corridors. The cat in the film looks menacing and links to the films 80s feel. The film has a growing sense of conspiracy and tension as like Alien Lily Cat is ultimately a slasher film is space. The film has a good horror atmosphere to it with Lily walking like a robot, this is further shown with Lily stuck in a vent with bloody everywhere witch links to the horror atmosphere. There are entertaining set pieces such as when they detach from the part of the ship, as it explodes. The film has a body horror ecstatic to it with refences to Alien and The thing. The film has a god use of surreal otherworldly sound effects, as the alien robot cat acts like a slasher villain picking them off one by one, the film also has a good twist to it with the main character being a stowaway. There are interesting ideas shown within the film such as the idea that a person could be in cryosleep us much that people are way older than they look, and life becomes sort of meaningless to them as everything has passed them by. There is also just great body horror imagery in the film as one of the crews face splitting into two like The thing but with the cats head coming out. The film has a good horror atmosphere to it, the film also has a sympathetic main charter even though he is in the wrong to an extent. The film is ultimately Alien but the cat is a robot and in on it, the film also has a alien feel with dark black corridors due to corrosion. The film has a good horror atmosphere to it with the alien crawling around and attacking them as the film has a good 80s feel to it. The film has a cyberpunk body horror feel to it with the cat being biomechanical, as this is revealed the film has a good epic sci-fi action climax to it as the ship is being corroded and breaks apart. In the films climax the captain reveals that has emergency shuttle from his first space voyage as the guy and the girl escape as the Capitan decides to detonate the ship with him on it. As they start the process the cat that is controlling everything as the alien is coming for them. As the alien Virus kills the Capitan the ship leaves with the alien on it which burns up in the earth’s atmosphere, as the film ends on the note that despite all the tragedies, they have witnessed they diced to try go on and live.
The acting in the film is good. Osamu Saka does a good job Captain Mike Hamilton the rough gruff Capitan of the ship. Hiroyuki Okita does a good job as Jiro Takagi the hero of the film that is a criminal that becomes an action movie star. Masako Katsuki does a good job as Nancy Strauch a sweet young girl that gets wrapped up in this horror situation. Chikao Otsuka does a good job as Dick Berry who snuck onboard the ship as an agent to track down Takagi. Eiko Yamada does a good job as Farrah Van Dorothy the nurse of the film. Hiroshi Ohtake does a good job as Dular Delcasse. Kozo Shioya does a good job as Guy Alciun. Shingeru Shiba does a good job as wat Tyler. Tessho Genda does a good job as Morgan W. Scott. Yoshiko Sakakibara does a good job as Carolyn. Mahito Tsukimura does a good job as Dr. Harris Mead the ships doctor and scientist. Ryoichi Tanaka does a good job as Jimmy Mengel. Masashi Hirose does a good job as Syncam’s personal manager.
The writing in the film is good. The film starts with the crew waking up after being asleep, as an interesting concept in the film is that they have been asleep for 20 years but biologically they are the same. It turns out that Nancy has a cat with her, as her and the rest of the crew are written like stereotypes. The crew wonders are there is life on the planet they visit, as it turns out they have been in hibernation for 40 years as the girl that hands out their schedules is the president’s daughter. The people working in charge are old a grizzled, as these sailors ferry elite company workers to explore space for company interests. The Capitan states that this is his last voyage as all the crew are in alien-esc cryochambers. The ecstatic continues with an alien like computer as something gets picked up by the ship that dissolves in the water as the alien goo geos into the cat, as the crew wakes up form their alien like cryochamber. The is a generational clash between the old, grizzled crew and the new crew, as two employees are on the ship are criminals to get out of prison. The crew’s goal is to go to the planet and collect minerals as someone is trying to sabotage the ship which gives the film a sense of paranoia. They are then attacked by the cat on the ships corridors as it turns out that the guy died form lung disease for alien bacteria as the crew go looking for a course. One of the crew members find a message about there being illegal people on the ship and confronts the captain about this as they find Dr Harris dead form infection. The captain interviews everyone to find the stowaway as the find a body as everyone else is in cryo sleep. Lily gets sucked though the vent as there’s blood everywhere as they seal the contaminated eras of the ship and detonate it.
The alien robot then attacks one of the crew with its tentacles, as the hanger door opens as the computer is shut down as items are sucked out and some of the crew members dies. Everybody seemly vanishes as Jiro reveals that he illegally smuggled a disease in as he is revealed to be a murderer and Dick is a detective. It is revealed that the captain and nurse are old due to being in hibernation for so long that they don’t age and that everyone they know has died on the planet and that life is not the same for them and is pointless to arrest them. there is cool body horror imagery as one of the crews face splitting in two like the thing as the cat’s head comes out of it. The alien bacteria erode the ship and will kill them as the alien erodes the walls of the ship. One of the guys in the crew had a bad job with no fiends or family and wanted the job to have adventure to tell his parents as everyone the ship is a dammed person. It turns out that Takagi killed three people because they turned his little sister into a drug addict and prostitute who died, as the film is full of alien-like refences with a guy cutting though the doors as the alien attacks them. The cat is revelled to be the villain as the guy flame towers the cat who is relived to be a robot as the bacteria leaks all over the ship, as lily cat is ultimately the one in charge and is a robot computer controlling the ship. The ship starts corroding and the alien attacks them. It turns out that the robot has been controlling the ship all along as they don’t trust the crew and want machines to do their job. The machine was active when they were sleeping and recorded data about the planet and brought a virus onboard to take them out as they were not needed. The detective guy mutates and dies as he is infected in a body horror type way, the creature can destroy its body at a cellular level that sues its cells to transform to body into something else as Dick states that he has a sense of duty and doesn’t want to undo his handcuffs.
The ship then gets corroded and breaks apart in an epic sci-fi action climax. Takagi says they should just kill themselves as there is no hope as Nancy breaks down as says she’s here as she had a friend who is better than her that stole her boyfriend and she wanted to get revenge by being young when she’s old. Takagi is about to kill himself when the captain stops him and says the corrosion virus will be spread to earth. The film ends with the captain revealing he has an emergency shuttle from space voyage so that the guy and the girl can escape as the captain decides to detonate the ship with him on it. He tries to start the process as the cat controls everything and the alien is coming for them. The alien virus mutates him as the ship leaves with the alien on it killing the cat. The alien the burns out in the earths atmosphere as the two survivors decide that despite l the tragedies, they have witnessed they decide to try and go on and live.
The cinematography in the film is good. The film has a good use of moody cinematography that sets the tone. There is a good POV shot then the alien goes down to pipe as well as a good use of bleu lighting. The cinematography in the film gives of the vibes of alien as well as this here are cool POV shots in the film. there is a cool scene were the animation spins out form he cats eye as well as a cool use of blue light exploding on the ship.
The animation in the film is good. The film has cool 80s anime animation as well as moody looking animation. The robot mechanics in the film look cool as well as a good look of the alien ship. The animation in a fil muses great gory horror imagery and well as cool animation with blue explosions. There is cool body horror animation in the film with the Thing like tentacles, this body horror ins used to great effect with one of the crews face splitting in two like the film The Thing as the cat’s head comes out of it. The film has good fire animation and good animation when the ship corrodes. There is great body horror animation when the thing like creature attacks them, as well as this there is cool cyberpunk body horror in the film with the cat being biomechanical. There is cool animation as the ship corrodes and starts to break apart and well as cool animation of the ship exploding in blue light.
Lily C.A.T is a fun entertaining sci-fi horror film that any fan of old school anime as well as science fiction or horror will like.
