The movie somehow manages to convey all of Stephen King's success rate: the first segment is nonsensically disappointing and strangely more unintentionally as well as irritatingly humorous than scary, the second segment is much more interesting due to its more realistically imagined stakes but really needed some crucial ironing out in order to reach its full potential, and the last segment actually stands up and delivers on its fantastical promises whilst respecting the audience's intelligence for both thrills and intellect.All anthology films tend to follow the half-baked rule, in which the input turn out to be entirely uneven concerning its output. The first half of The Twilight Zone: The Movie is schmaltzily boring while its second half is fantastically ingenious, and like its more big-budgeted predecessor, Cat's Eye is all too accustomed with following that rule. (Yes, I do know that the filmmakers never intended to make such lumps within their batter as production problems and unwholesome studio interference hampered upon the film's qualities themselves, though Cat's Eye was luckier in the fate department as it wasn't plagued by traumatic on-set tragedy/violation of human & civil & artistic rights but by the complete deletion of a supposedly depressing segment that explained why the cat was by its lonely feral self in the first place. Also, unlike the 5th dimension, King is strangely all-knowing precise and more fun to be with as he knows his own admittedly far-out formula to drop some references to much more thought out scenarios- say hello, Cujo and Christine!)I have no idea why the cat had to be a framing device: the first two stories basically had him as an irrelevant cameo, and worse, the first two stories' tones heavily clash with the last one as those two felt more realistically plausible whilst the grand finale was definitely situated in family-friendly horror fantasy a la Grimm. Despite these weird tonal shifts and the lack of complete correlation between these episodes, the best of the three segments actually involves the cat itself! (Total shocker, really.) I could totally see it being its own feature as it was the only story that I felt deserved the honor of being called well made and also the only segment that was worth existing. (Sorry The Ledge but you really need to be seriously remade as you turned out to be so goofy that this humble critic was already thinking of a better version in his head whilst watching it.)

One of the more famous anthologies and Stephen King movies, this is well-known primarily for its appearances by a young James Woods and an even younger Drew Barrymore. With a screenplay by King, it hosts three decent stories, all linked together by a rogue but supernatural cat, a sort of feline protector. Most notably of the three tales is the first: "Quitters, Inc." which has the best ending this side of a Rod Serling Twilight Zone episode. This is a fun movie. King's other movies ("Cujo", "Christine"), are sprinkled in as cameos, many which will leave you giggling along with King's playful nods to himself ("I don't know who writes this crap" as James Woods watches "The Dead Zone"), ("St Stephen's School for the Exceptionally Gifted"). It's better than I expected and better than a majority of horror anthologies out there especially for the time period. The effects - primary used for the third and final episode which has a more mystical spin on it than the previous two - are pretty good considering its the 1980s. The stories are simplistic, creative and effective. If you can sit back and deal with the 80s music and culture (does anyone remember the cassette tape?) you'll have a good time with this well filmed feature.

Not one of the best Stephen King adaptations, but the idea of anthology based around King's short stories (two from the same short story collection and the third being an original) is an entertaining romp. Centered around a simple tabby cat that wanders into the tales is a little ridiculous since the cat doesn't play the largest role in "Cat's Eye"'s first two stories; his feature is the third act.My favorite segment of the anthology is the film's first story which is "Quitters Inc." which is from Stephen King's "Night Shift" short story collection. In the story, James Woods plays a man attempting to quit smoking though the help of the titular agency (Woods himself was actually in the process of quitting smoking during the shoot), but finds that quitting will tougher than he thinks. The movie tones down some of the agency's violent offenses mentioned in the original short story, but leaves in the key factors to get Woods' Dick Morrison to avoid cigarettes at all costs. The adaptation is much hammy than the book's more serious tone; the humor can mostly be attributed to the awkward humor James Woods weaves in to defuse the tension. Overall not a bad translation of the story.If you need a relatively enjoyable movie anthology, then give "Cat's Eye" a watch.

Three years after giving us the excellent EC-influenced anthology Creepshow, bestselling horror writer Stephen KIng returned to the short story format for Cat's Eye, which offered up three Twilight Zone-style tales linked by a stray cat, which plays a part in each segment. A wonderful streak of dark humour, excellent performances, and taut direction from Lewis Teague make for a whole lot of fun.The action begins in New York, where smoker Dick Morrison (James Woods) visits Quitters Inc., an agency dedicated to helping people stop smoking. Unfortunately for Dick, the place is run by mafia-like hoodlums whose radical aversion therapy involves torture, rape and mutilation. A great central turn by the ever reliable Woods ensures a memorable start to the movie. Funniest moment: meat-head Junk (Tony Munafo) exclaiming 'Fiddlysticks!' as the cat escapes his clutches.Tale number two, my favourite of the three, stars Robert Hays as ageing tennis pro Johnny Norris, who is having an affair with the wife of crooked Atlantic City businessman and avid gambler Cressner (Kenneth McMillan). After sending his goons to kidnap Johnny, Cressner offers his love-rival a wager he cannot refuse: he must walk along the thin ledge that goes around his penthouse apartment or face being framed for dealing in heroin. What follows is a superb exercise in pure suspense, topped off with a nasty shock and a neat twist. Extra points are awarded for the vicious pigeon and that hilarious horn sound effect right at the end.The last story sees the cat arriving in Wilmington, NC, where 8-year-old Amanda (Drew Barrymore) talks her parents into adopting the animal—which is just as well, because there is a nasty troll in her bedroom that wants to steal the girl's breath, and only the brave feline (now named General) can save her. This one is definitely the weakest of the three, but still has plenty to offer fans of fantasy and the macabre, including an unforgettable malevolent creature, great use of over-sized sets, and an assured performance from the young Barrymore.