Alright, so I’ve heard this movie is nothing short of amazing. I love the original Shrek, but I’ve struggled to get into the resulting sequels, where this Puss in Boots was originally conjured. He’s a bit of a nothing character to me if I’m honest; he comes into Shrek 2 as a show-boater, overestimating his own abilities, and coasting along behind Shrek and Donkey for two adventures thereafter. It’s taken me a little while to get to this movie because I had to watch 2011’s Puss in Boots prequel first. There, the movie portrays Puss as a good kitty wrongly caught up in the rugged world of the underbelly against his wishes, and striving to clear his name – pass. So, with my relative indifference to the Puss in Boots character, combined with the fledging respect Puss in Boots: The Last Wish has adorned so far, I have a conflicting twisting swirling whirlwind of both high and low expectations going round in my head; strong enough to pick up Dorothy’s house, I’d imagine! And the time has come – will this movie be a good witch, or a bad witch?
The mighty legend of Puss in Boots, partier and protector, is down to the last of his nine lives. A barber-dentist-doctor warns him that he must now take it easy, and urges Puss to live out the rest of his days with a cat lady, safe and subdued under the restrains of litterbox and kibble. With bounty hunters on his tail, Puss eventually resigns, but a hint of the true existence of a mystical last wish, snaps Puss back into adventure mode, as the wish could grant Puss his nine lives again, and return him to living as a charismatic cool cat 😎
Well, this is the most I’ve liked Puss in Boots. Puss, I finally see your worth. Correct me if I’m wrong, but the joke at his introduction in Shrek 2 was that he was overconfident and outmatched, and he floated through the rest of the sequels taking himself less seriously with his new laidback friends. Therefore, I guess the word that sticks out for me, often in movies as well as today, is competence. An awesome opening sequence shows exactly what Puss in Boots can do, taking down a massive giant, where he once struggled to best a tubby ogre. I went into this movie thinking Florence Pugh’s Goldilocks and her three bears would be my favourite new characters, yet they threatened to be dullards due to a lack of competence, bickering in their capacity as bounty hunters. Although, their arc eventually makes sense, and I really cared about them realising how special they are as a family, led by the heart by Olivia Coleman’s Mother Bear – bless her cotton beret. Goldilocks hit the orphan jackpot, as she says ❤ Death is the most competent character, tracking Puss with the stealth of a spiritual entity, and whistling formidably like Omar comin’, or Negan in The Walking Dead – I was pleasantly surprised with who he turns out to be, and the direction the story takes with him. I heard it said that this movie doesn’t need to go so hard, so it’s to be appreciated that it does, and a large part of that summation can be attributed to the metaphysic inclusion of death, as a character, and a conversation to have about life in a kid’s movie. I can’t remember the last children’s cartoon that chose to tackle such a subject in this manner; seriously, am I forgetting something? Coco? Soul? The vitality that comes from staring death in the face, and embracing your one life in Puss in Boots: The Last Wish, feels stronger than what I can remember of those aforementioned movies (although Coco is definitely wonderful in its own way). But my favourite new character by a country mile is Jiminy Cricket 😂 I remember fondly how the first Shrek felt so fresh with its grubby commentary on fairy tale creatures, even if the main objective was just to poke fun at Disney, and here there’s elements of that rejuvenation again. Another example is the way Big Jack Horner repurposes many a magical tool from our storybooks for his evil doings, but the Ethical Bug being absolutely horrified at Jack Horner lack of conscience is hilarious! With Pinocchio already a well-established part of the Shrek franchise, I’m wrapped to see Jiminy get some love, down to the wholesome Jimmy Stewart impressionistic voice to boot.
A couple of criticisms – through the various production material I’d seen, I thought the animation style would be vibrant and innovative, but, especially through the action sequences, I was turned off by how everything appeared flat, and jolted as if it were stop-animation. Call it nostalgia, but I actually prefer the chosen bulbous CGI of the Shrek universe in practice. It’s a strange debate, because over the past five years I’ve often lauded how animation seems to improve with every movie, while also missing the days of hand-drawn talents and looking for something different. Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse was definitely a vast change in style that I admired, and you could argue that this is similar, but it didn’t work for me. Perhaps it’s simply because the Puss and Shrek universe already had a succinct style, and I didn’t see the need for a change. But my eyes adjusted, and I got used to it, so I’m not writing like this was the end of the world.
I also really didn’t like Spider-Ham having the same voice as Big Jack Horner – yes, when voice acting fits, the character can be sensational, and I definitely wouldn’t have picked John Mulvaney to play the big bustling brute. When it comes to voice acting, this franchise has so often been right on the money, with Eddie Murphy’s Donkey being one of the best animated characters ever created! Because of this, I had to fight hard for my brain not to compare this movie’s new irritating beast of burden, the nameless dog, to what has come before, as he and Puss form another unlikely friendship. Storywise, it was excellent seeing the map to the last wish change depending on who was holding it, and this was best articulated through Perrito, who’s loving and trusting nature made for the gentlest adventure – I thought the pocket full of posies was brilliant in concept and execution as well. Perhaps for the only time this movie slowed down, Perrito fulfilled his desire to become an emotional support animal for a panicked Puss in Boots, and that was a touching moment too. Team Friendship certainly end up forming a combination to really get behind – Milo & Otis, and the second Bandito. Since the first Puss in Boots movie was a prequel, I didn’t see any lasting satisfaction in the conclusion hinting at a feline romance between Puss and Kitty, because we saw Puss chilling and schmoozing in future installments. But now, the future for Softpaws and Pickles is anyone’s guess, and it seems in all likelihood that we will find out, as these spin-off movies will eventually form a trilogy, no? And everyone would like that 🤗
As a simple fellow fortunate enough to grow up with Shrek repeatedly in the VCR at home, and one who’s never been able to gel with all the movies that came after, it’s wonderful to feel like I won’t be in the dark through the outpouring of exuberance for Puss in Boots: The Last Wish. While the movie did start out slow for me – the cat getting fat isn’t all that relevant once the action begins, like it might’ve been – but as soon as our players make it to the dark forest, the movie embarks on a rollicking, intriguing, and dazzling sprint to the finish line. However, in truth, my joyful experience does extend all the way back to the very beginning, as this is also the first time I’ve seen the new Dreamworks animation logo that incorporates all of their commercial successes – Kung Fu Panda, How to Train Your Dragon, etc. There’s a huge catalogue thanks to Dreamworks animation, and it’s great to see them take pride in their accomplishments, just like Disney do, especially if they continue to put such care into their works, as they have done here. I’m not as enamoured by this movie as some, but it is quality.
4.0
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