Too much of everything

just watch it!

Best movie of this year hands down!

Let me be very fair here, this is not the best movie in my opinion. But, this movie is fun, it has purpose and is very enjoyable to watch.

Who knew that a story about a cat solving a series of brutal murders could be so engrossing? Germany entered this controversial thriller into the animation game that has become the country's own masterpiece, earning global praise. Its fame has even surpassed the literary source novel it was based upon.Francis is a house-cat who has just moved to a new neighborhood with his magazine writer owner and stumbles into a murder mystery that involves scientific experimentation, a feline cult and a bloody body count as he gets closer to the truth. Aided by a colorful cast of diverse characters from the wise-cracking deformed Bluebeard (Bleubart in German), the blind, gentle and wise Felicity (Felicitas in German) to the fatherly figure-like and all- knowing Pascal, Francis comes to learn that the truth is stranger and more horrifying than he could have known. Our leading feline is a simple cat who must become a hero in extraordinary circumstances. Francis is naive yet intelligent despite little knowledge of the film's events prior to his introduction. His voice is what guides us through the story as we see everything from his perspective, allowing us access into his mind when Francis begins to experience nightmares so horrible that it pushes the limit of what should be seen. Francis is also flawed as he gives in to temptations that could cost him his life or the answers to the murders, but in the end the hero does prevail thanks to his resourcefulness, razor-sharp wit and fierce combat skills.The violence is graphic and unyielding as the bloody aftermath is not shielded from the viewer. We never actually see the crimes occur, but are given details in some instances that would make one's stomach twist and turn. The carnage is spine-chilling as the murders grow more gruesome in the film's short run-time (I won't divulge here for the sake of not offending my readers). Best not to see this on a full stomach or if you are squeamish.The narrative takes many twists and turns as the mystery is slowly unraveled. By the time the killer's identity is revealed, the tension is so thick that the air could be cut with knives and still the adrenaline pumps through the veins. Even as the fiery and brutal final battle takes place, you can't look away as the hero and killer face off in the most epic cat- fight since "The Lion King (ironically released the same year as "Felidae")". It is only over when blood is spilled, but there is a bittersweet final word of advice that wraps up the film with a bow but not in a condescending way.If you are brave enough, give this little gem a watch but be prepared for one hell of a ride.

This is not the kind of animated feature that you would stick the kiddies in front of unless they have a great deal of maturity to understand graphic (violent) imagery. This is a story that takes talking animals to a whole different, nitty-gritty level.The first thing to note is the differences between the original German voice acting and the English dub later developed. You can tell right off when doing a comparison between the two, that the voice acting and the lines is definitely better in the German one, the voice actors matching their characters personalities quite well, with Ulrich Tukar as the voice of Francis and Mario Adorf as Blaubart. The English version cleaned up a lot of the language which actually felt part in setting the tone, particularly of Blaubart, and did have some noticeable differences to wording outside of that which was not to the film's advantage.So like with anything else that is done in a language different from your own, if your English, stick to the subtitled version if you want the full effect of the film.The animation was a rather fascinating mix of the standard, though good, quality of animation during that period, but then you get these moments where it takes a step above itself, particularly in Francis' dream sequences, and one in particular whose contents won't be given away, but its style works well with the disturbing and potent imagery you're not likely to forget.There is also a sense of environment with this, an idea of the sort of old run down once lofty urban district which is established through the movements of the cats, done particularly well through a really well animated and detailed chase scene between Francis and the cult followers.The story itself is another highlight, appropriate given the popularity of the books, the narrative flows from one sequence to another well enough, though there are moments that do feel a little rushed, it does weave its mystery in a very engaging way with equally engaging characters, Blaubart being a nice humorously crass counterpoint when it gets a little too heavy at the right times. It actually reads almost like a film noir, with some of the tropes of the genre, but not dominantly so.One of the things going against it is that there are certain things that do make it dated, and a product of its times, such as a scene or two of less than PC use of homosexuality in a negative connotation, particularly exemplified in the scene between Kong and his crew and Francis and Blaubart in the first half, but that is very brief thankfully, and doesn't impact with the rest of the film, so it can be skipped.The other negative perhaps is that while the climatic ending was really well done, the "bad humans and there corruption" message did feel a little forced here, almost shoe horned in with those last words of the antagonist, and then Francis before he passes out. It felt already established and stated by the antagonist's back story already, but then again, it is a product of its time, and it didn't take away from the overall enjoyment of the film.This was a great film that has a really compelling narrative and tone that sucks you in, a great set of characters in Francis and Blaubart, great animation, particularly in the dream sequences, and a gripping action-filled ending, if a little preachy here and there. Definitely a recommended watch for those who enjoy a good horror/mystery, are not squeamish, and like good quality adult animation.

For a film animated in the same way a children's film often is, this was amazing. It is definitely not for kids, but it points out the faults in science and religion, uncovers the cruel world of animal testing, and a number of unique characters are met: A typical housecat called Francis, who has a love for solving crime, his new but very rude friend/parter Bleubart (Bluebeard in English version), a blind cat with an abusive past, two neutered Siamese cats, a fat cat named Joker with a suicidal cult and many more. The film leads into a dark world of alleycats, where past animal experimentation left the neighbourhood a mess for the cats living there. Murder is on the rise, there is a psychotic cult of cats there, and they all seem to worship a mysterious figure by the name Claudandis. Francis moves in with his obese owner Gus, and immediately sees the crime first-hand, and notes as well that the neighbourhood has a toxic waste smell. He befriends Bluebeard, an old fat cat with a sense of crude humour and a love of eating fish, and he shows Francis around the neighbourhood a bit, introducing him to Kong (a mutant cat), Felicity (a blind cat disfigured in a past experiment) and Pascal (an ageing cat who can use a computer easily). Meanwhile Francis is plagued with nightmares, starting with a man in a white lab coat who has no face. After Felicity is decapitated in her own home, Francis dedicates his every move to stopping the criminal. One morning, he comes upon a VCR revealing a recorded tape of a medical laboratory in the neighbourhood that shut down due to a loss of funding. Three scientists had formerly worked there: Gray (only lightly mentioned), Ziebold (a scientist who eventually sees the experiments as cruel and therefore quits his job), and the alcoholic Professor Proterius, who drank himself to madness and was them murdered by a dangerous cat in the lab. Francis investigates even further and reveals a huge dark past to the seemingly average neighbourhood.One reason I love this film is because of the riddles hidden in it that apply to real-life, and the knowledge the film holds about genetics. My favourite scene is the one with Joseph Mendell and his massive graveyard, as he goes nuts screaming about hybrid plant experiments. I also love the portrayal of the various characters, each with a distinct personality. The only thing I hate is the amount of unnecessary R-rated intimacy scenes. Those scenes plus the many violent murder scenes and scenes portraying cruelty to animals in test labs concludes that this film really isn't right for kids. However, that isn't to say that this is not a very good movie. It's long since been one of my favourite ones along with Warning Sign (1985). Felidae originated in Germany, and was based on a mystery novel. Like Watership Down, the Plague Dogs, Sysco the Worst Disaster Ever Created and the Rats of N.I.M.H. the book/film Felidae is an allegory. I highly recommend it to everyone over the age of 15.

I'm surprised that this film isn't very well known and that its mean score here is a mere 7.1 (which isn't that bad, but isn't that good either). This movie is often compared to The Plague Dogs (Mean score: 7.7), as they both are animated films with a lot of gore and language, but if you ask me, The Plague Dogs pales in comparison to Felidae. The Plague Dogs has better animation, but Felidae has so much more than that: Clever characters, unpredictable plot, witty humor, a developed cat culture, metaphors for human society, superb voice acting, and scientific references. The only danger I see with it is that some kid may want to see it since it's animated and has cats, and since it has no rating, the parents won't know it's not for kids. It would have PG-13 or R rating if it was rated. Be warned: It has frequent mild language (frick, hell, a**, a**hole, d***, god d***), occasional strong language (b******, s***, bulls***, s***head),some sexual references and innuendo, brief cat sex, and a lot of intense cat violence with animated blood and gore (intestines, lungs, and bones).