Legend of the Demon Cat (2017)

Legend of the Demon Cat is the kind of luxuriant, big-screen fantasy that reminds you cinema can be a feast: Chen Kaige turns Tang Dynasty Chang’an into a living tapestry of candlelit corridors, bustling streets, and opulent court ritual, all haunted by the sleek menace of a black cat that feels both magical and unsettling. What begins as a playful, eerie mystery becomes a sweeping, melancholy journey through poetry, devotion, and buried history, anchored by the easy chemistry of Huang Xuan’s inquisitive poet and Shota Sometani’s quietly charismatic monk. The film’s pleasures are as much in its atmosphere as its answers—each clue leads to another breathtaking set piece, another costume-rich tableau, another note of tragic romance hanging in the air. If you want a tight, purely logical whodunit, it may feel more like a dream than a puzzle, but if you’re willing to surrender to its spell, it’s a ravishing adventure with real emotional aftertaste.

Legend of the Demon Cat is clearly aiming for a lavish, myth-soaked Tang Dynasty mystery where poetry, folklore, and tragedy swirl together in a big-screen spectacle. When it works, the production design and atmosphere are genuinely gorgeous, and the central investigation has an intriguing, melancholy pull. But be warned: the storytelling can feel muddled early on, the pacing is indulgent, and some of the CGI-heavy moments look more “theme-park fantasy” than haunting supernatural drama. If you need a tight, logical whodunit or get impatient with long, ornate set-piece filmmaking, this one may test you—but if you’re happy to soak in visuals and mood while the plot meanders, it’s an easy fit.