Today’s quick review: Lily C.A.T. The crew of an interplanetary scouting mission wake up after 20 years of deep sleep to find that their ship has been infested with a type of alien bacteria. As crew members begin to die, Captain Mike Hamilton (Mike Reynolds) organizes the survivors to secure the ship and salvage the mission. But the situation is complicated by a cryptic message indicating two of the people onboard are impostors.
Lily C.A.T. is a Japanese animated sci-fi horror movie. The movie is a variant on a classic premise of the genre: a group of survivors trapped with an entity that is killing them one by one. Lily C.A.T. puts its own twist on the formula with corporate space exploration, a versatile creature, and a hunt for the impostors. But in spite of some interesting ideas, the film’s execution falls short of the mark.
Lily C.A.T. has issues with its storytelling. Chief among these is that the film moves too fast for the kind of story it is trying to tell. Characters die abruptly and without fanfare, and the film doesn’t take the time to build up a sense of dread. The way it presents information is also confusing, making it hard to get a bead on what kind of threat the survivors are facing. Finally, the story has three threads that all compete with one another.
Lily C.A.T. has the makings of a compelling story, but it fails at the details of bringing it to life. Fans of science fiction and classic anime will find that it’s still a fine pick, in spite of its flaws, but it is outclassed by other movies with clearer writing and better tension.
For a more thrilling story about a killer alien, try Alien or The Thing. For a flawed sci-fi horror movie with a similar premise, try Virus. For a more meticulous story about an alien infection, try The Andromeda Strain.
6.2 out of 10 on IMDB. I give it a 6.0 to 6.5 for interesting ideas with flawed presentation.