Legend of the Demon Cat

Although the often humorous film may not quite rank among Chen’s best and that CGI-enhanced feline isn’t always convincingly up to scratch, the buoyant yarn nevertheless casts a beguiling spell.

Lead actors Sometani and Huang are both charming enough even if their emotional struggles are superficially depicted.

Chen winds up with little more than an elaborate shaggy cat story, although one that is not without its fair share of incidental pleasures

In the end, sensationalism and simplistic emotions, bolstered by Klaus Badelt's sweeping score, decimate a story that has otherwise been unfolding nicely with gloom and intrigue.