Directed by Joel Crawford, Puss in Boots: The Last Wish follows Puss in Boots (Antonio Banderas) as he goes on a journey to find the mystical Last Wish from the Wishing Star and restore the eight of his nine lives that he has lost over the course of his life. But he is pursued by new enemies that also seek the Star, or seek to kill him, including Goldilocks (Florence Pugh), “Big” Jack Horner (John Mulaney), and the deadly Wolf (Wagner Moura). In order to survive he teams up with Kitty Softpaws (Salma Hayek) and a wannabe therapy dog named Perrito (Harvey Guillén) to embark on the adventure of a lifetime.
It appears that Dreamworks is back in the animation game, delivering not one but two highly received animated films in 2022 that not only tried completely new animation styles but also had actual effort put into them. I really enjoyed The Bad Guys, and based on the surprisingly massive amount of love Puss In Boots was getting recently I just had to see it for myself. And I can honestly say that this spin-off sequel to the highly commercialized Shrek franchise was way better than it had any right to be and absolutely blew me away with how fantastic it is. It’s a grand adventure for the feline hero that was made with heart, humor, maturity, beauty, and action-packed thrills that I have not felt from a Dreamworks project in years.
I once again have to start off by praising the incredible animation as this film adopts the same Spiderverse-like style of animation used in The Bad Guys but on a larger, fantastical, and more detailed scale that makes it feel like a fairytale book come to life. Featuring creative combinations of 2D & 3D animation we get a completely new makeover of the familiar world of Shrek, giving it more of a visual identity and making it largely stand out compared to past entries.
The color palette is off the chain and the movement of the animation is fluid and full of fierce energy, like the characters in the story. There are so many layered details in every frame, especially the textures that make the characters and their surroundings look as if they came off parchment paper. I don’t know how they accomplished this but serious props to them for making this happen as it looks so damn beautiful on the big screen.
Antonio Banderas triumphantly returns as the titular character who was always my favorite character in the Shrek films, and this film reminds me why I loved him, while also taking him in a new direction. Puss is the heroic, charismatic, and adventurous cat we remember but his world becomes completely shattered when he finds out he is down to his last life and now faces permanent death at every turn after years of considering himself an immortal legend. Throughout the film he reflects on his years of carelessness and ego that not only depleted his many lives but also pushed away the things that really matter in life. It’s fascinating to see such a beloved animated character be brought down from his high horse and learn lessons of humility, and fear, as well as learning to appreciate what life offers outside of being a “legendary figure”. And of course, Banderas delivers a wonderful performance as the character, making you feel for everything he is going through with his voice and the artistic animation.
Joining him on his journey is Salma Hayek’s Kitty Soft Paws, Puss’ female counterpart and love interest. I am aware this was a character from the first Puss in Boots film, though to be honest I never got a chance to see the first film so I don’t know too much about her background. That being said, even without having seen the first film I felt their connection worked in this film and the two share such excellent chemistry, both during the action and the smaller moments. She also gets an interesting arc about learning to trust on account of something Puss did to her a long time ago that split them apart. Seeing them connect again was wholesome to watch and it contributes to Puss’ journey of what one life can offer.
Joining them is the absolutely hilarious Perrito, voiced brilliantly and energetically by Harvey Guillén. This character can be best described as an absolute simpleton but a lovable one whose heart is clearly bigger than his brain and body. A character like this could easily be written as intrusive comic relief but he ended up being such a fun little gem to the film, offering meaningful life lessons and a surprisingly foul mouth that had me rolling with laughter.
Another big surprise in this film that ended up being one of the biggest highlights is Florence Pugh as Goldilocks, the leader of the Three Bears Crime Family. As silly as the character may sound Florence delivers an absolutely badass and heartfelt depiction of the Fairy Tale character accompanied by Papa Bear (Ray Winstone), Mama Bear (Olivia Colman), and Baby Bear (Samson Kayo) all voiced brilliantly by their respective cast members. I honestly had no clue what to expect from these characters and yet everything involving them I loved from start to finish, thanks largely to the performances and the emotional arc written for them
Of course, every fairy tale needs a villain and this just so happens to have two. The first one is Big Jack Horner, voiced by John Mulaney, a feared pastry chef and crime lord who plans to reach the Wishing Star. He holds various magical items, creatures, and people ever since he was snubbed of fairy-tale fame and uses them for his own gain. While Mulaney does deliver a fun cartoonish performance as this character that delivers many fairy tale references and humorous running gags I didn’t feel this character needed to be in the film as much as he is. Is he entertaining? Yes, but he doesn’t contribute as much to the story aside from being an obstacle for our heroes.
But the second and primary villain of the film is a whole different breed. The Wolf is hands down the best and most terrifying animated villain I have seen in years. He is the literal incarnation of Death who wants to take Puss’ last life as retribution for squandering his previous ones. His very presence both visually and audibly brought literal chills down my spine and he’s the first foe ever to strike fear in the heart of the legendary Puss in Boots. What sells this villain the most, outside of his fearsome appearance, skin-crawling presence, and hellish combat, is the voice by Wagner Moura, delivering a cold and sadistic performance for this character that engrains himself into your mind. He brings surprising amounts of horror every time he appears and truly delivers some of the best scenes in the entire film.
This film delivers one of the strongest written and most exciting stories we have had yet from Dreamworks. Now while the film has plenty of fun and funny moments that are directed towards families, it’s very clear that the filmmakers were also targeting older audiences, including those who grew up with the Shrek franchise, by including more mature moments, themes, and messages than any of the past entries. This film largely focuses on the themes of mortality, ego, trust, found family, and appreciation of life, all brought together with excellent writing and telling them through the different characters.
What surprised me the most is not only how much this film was tackling, but how much time it had to tackle everything perfectly. This film has a runtime of 1 hour 40 minutes and yet it never felt rushed in its pacing and the narrative felt flawless. It goes to show that even films that aren’t 2 or 3 hours can be just as good or even better with shorter runtimes. It doesn’t matter how long the film is, it’s what is done within the given time that matters.
The film also utilizes a certain McGuffin as a contributing tool to the story that not only adds animated beauty but also gives a visual understanding of the characters and what they are going through.
The action is really fun and fluid, all of which is enhanced visually by the animation, cinematography, and especially the editing. It’s also extremely tense considering that Puss is down to his last life so the stakes are always high no matter what kind of fight he ends up in. So much can happen all at once on screen, especially with the utilization of fairy tale creatures and items, but you get to see it all in its full glory and get truly absorbed into how epic and fantastical it feels.
Paired with everything is a strong soundtrack and an even stronger musical score that gives the film so much energy and flair that it makes the film feel even more exciting and tension-filled than it already is.
This was a massive revitalization of the Shrek franchise that was definitely needed, as well as an installment that stands on its own with so much effort put into it; it’s worth watching on the biggest screen possible. Dreamworks seems to be heading in a very good direction with films like this and The Bad Guys and I for one can’t wait to see what comes next. And judging by the ending of this film it’s clear they are cooking up something. I’m going to give Puss in Boots: The Last Wish an A = 97.
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