Puss in Boots: The Last Wish is a solid start to Dreamwork’s redemption.
Puss in Boots (Antonio Banderas) discovers his passion for adventure has taken its toll: he has burnt through eight of his nine lives. Puss sets out on an epic journey to find the mythical Last Wish and restore his nine lives.
This film has an adventurous pace that is very good for kids and adults with short attention spans, which really strings along and has excitement and edge. It jumps right in and quickly establishes the world so that the adventure can start right off and get us to the good stuff while still establishing a story. The movie also does a great job of giving the character’s the development that they need.
The animation is gorgeous and runs pretty smoothly and the design still mimics the blend of real and fairytale, delivering that best of both worlds that audiences have fallen in love with this series. The world-building is very fun, with familiar trends and architecture, but the spin of things shows the creativity with their adult twists to nursery rhymes and it also tries new things with a style that works well.
Many of the characters are brought to life more by the voices than by the animations, as the personalities of the voice actors ooze out of the characters. John Mulaney is hilarious and makes the lines come out with that SNL-like delivery that is snarky and well-timed. Wagner Moura is absolutely bone-chilling as the Big Bad Wolf and really is a prime choice for a bad guy. Harvey Gillen is charming as the cute puppy and probably the most adorable thing in the movie. Salma Hayek is sassy, yet emotional when the time comes and balances things out which helps establish the rival aspect of the cat in shoes. Antonio Banderas reprises the comedy and spirit of Boots and adds elements to him and takes new emotions that are presented quite well, which elevates the growth of the character.
Overall, Puss in Boots: The Last Wish was a much better movie than what I thought it was going to be. The movie really does start to step back into the Shrek roots and the animation is solid and a bit diverse, with acting and direction to pull the feelings into the occurring character development. Puss in Boots: The Last Wish is a solid return to the world that began in Shrek and features great voice-acting that delivers solid comedy at times and makes for one wild ride.
Puss in Boots: The Last Wish is now playing in theaters.
What did you think of the film? Let us know in the comments.
