Puss in Boots was a supporting character in the Shrek franchise back in the 2000s ever since the character had gotten a film of its own. Now this feline swashbuckling cat gets his second film. There must be an audience for this character he keeps getting chances because Universal and Dreamworks keeps going back to the well. It is well deserved though because Puss in Boots The Last Wish is another fun adventure film.
When we pick up Puss in Boots (Antonio Banderas) he is the honored guest of a party. While he is singing and dancing and having a good time drinking his milk and thwarting the town mayor in the process he inadvertently awakens a giant that has lived dormant on the outskirts of town. Puss must defend the town and fight the giant. In the process, he loses his eighth life and must now be careful because he’s down to only one life left of the nine lives he originally had. He must now go on a new adventure to find the last wish that will help him restore his other eight lives.
With a great adventure to unfold before him, Puss must also face off against some threats that want to snuff his last life. The Big Bad Wolf (Wagner Moura) is the first threat that appears to threaten him. They enter into a game of wits that is pretty difficult for Puss. Another group of threats that crops up is Goldilocks and the Three Bears (Florence Pugh, Ray Winstone, Samson Kayo) They are also trying to get the last wish as well and get rid of Puss in one fell swoop. Puss is facing odds everywhere he looks, including Jack Horner (John Mulaney) until he finally finds a friendt in Kitty Softpaws (Salma Hayek) and a little dog masquerading as a cat Perro (Harvey Guillen)
Puss in Boots was a good movie but the sequel Puss in Boots The Last Wish has so much going on in it. At its heart, it is a film that shows what a great character this is and why it resonates with so many people. He’s got a lot of charisma and charm and of course, Banderas plays this character up more than any character he’s ever played in his career. He just exudes every characteristic he needs to make this cute swashbuckling cat come to life. The story helps a lot with that as well.
One of the things that make great animated films great is the animation style itself and Puss n Boots has a slightly different style than most animated films. Disney and Pixar have revolutionized computer animation and they have won a lot of awards for their great films. There are other animation studios and one of them is Dreamworks. They have had some popular franchises like the aforementioned Shrek Kung Foo Panda and the How to train Your Dragon Franchise. They have changed up how these films all look which is what is so cool with this series of films. It has a painted look to it and this style makes for a gorgeous animated movie.
With any film let alone animated films there has to be something that is engaging about it. Whether it’s funny or filled with adventure or resonates with kids or adults it has to be entertaining. And Puss in Boots The Last Wish is very entertaining, to say the least. It has a fun story with a fantastic villain chasing Puss around with terrific voiceover work from the cast. The main reason to see this movie and all the movies that Antonio Banderas is in as Puss in Boots is that he’s so adorable as this lovable adventure-seeking cat. He is this character and I love him in this role.
4 ½ stars
Dan Skip Allen
From the Fourth Row! 