“Puss in Boots: The Last Wish” Review
Antonio Banderas reprises his role as the animated outlaw Puss in Boots in “Puss in Boots: The Last Wish,” the first film in the “Shrek” series in 11 years.
I have been a massive fan of “Shrek” ever since the beginning. Since the film was released when I was barely a year old, I have grown up with “Shrek” and with the franchise it spawned. During the summer 2020 movie theater shutdowns, my brother and I actually ventured to our local drive-in theater to see “Shrek” on the big screen because of how much we love the film as well as its 2004 sequel, which is even better. However, the subsequent two sequels as well as the spin-off film “Puss in Boots” didn’t reach the heights of the first two films. As you can imagine, I wasn’t exactly ecstatic to see “Puss in Boots: The Last Wish” but I went to the theater anyway out of love for the “Shrek” series. I’m glad I did because, and I can’t believe I’m saying this, the sequel to the 11-year-old spinoff of “Shrek” is the best film in the series since “Shrek 2.”
Set after the “Shrek” films, which were set after the first “Puss in Boots” film, the titular feline outlaw (Antonio Banderas) continues to do whatever he wants for personal glory. He’s hated by some, loved by many and is constantly seeking bigger adventures. After being briefly killed in a freak accident, Puss realizes that he’s spent eight of his nine lives and decides to hang up his hat, cape and boots for good. However, when he hears that a fallen wishing star hidden in a magical forest can grant anyone their deepest wish, he decides to go on a massive quest to replenish his lives and return to his life as a swashbuckling adventurer.
From the very beginning, the film is pulsing with energy throughout its thrilling action sequences. While Dreamworks has made a lot of good animated films recently, like the “How to Train Your Dragon” and “Kung Fu Panda” sequels, it’s been 11 years since any “Shrek” film was released. The animation really caught up during that time and the action sequences of “Puss in Boots: The Last Wish” could honestly be compared to “Spider-Man: Into the Spiderverse.” The movement is so fast yet you are able to tell what is going on and there’s a lot of creative angles used to keep each fight scene interesting.
The film also knows when to slow down and take a breather, especially to address the mortality of the main character. Puss in Boots has been a pretty popular character ever since his introduction in “Shrek 2” as a full-of-himself outlaw. However, this film is about this character being given more depth and becoming humbled by his predicament which was a welcome addition.
With manic energy and incredible action, the film is an adrenaline rush for the whole family.
Helping Puss on his journey is Kitty Softpaws (Salma Hayek Pinault), a fellow outlaw who was Puss’ love interest in the first film and is now angry at him for being left by him at the altar. She also wants to get to the wishing star and make a wish for herself but finds herself forced to work with Puss for a mutual advantage. Unlike a film like “Ticket to Paradise,” their chemistry is excellent and their bickering is pretty funny since it’s more well-founded.
A new addition to the cast of heroes is Perrito (Harvey Guillén) who is not a cutthroat or an adventurer but an optimistic therapy dog who attaches himself to Puss as his best friend. This is the kind of character that could have easily become annoying but he’s just so optimistic and adds value to the group. While he does have to be saved a few times, he never feels like a nuisance and actually helps mediate Puss and Kitty and provide a new outlook on things besides slice first, ask questions later. He’s basically like Ted Lasso as a little dog. One of the most powerful scenes in the film is where Perrito just sits next to Puss while he’s having a panic attack and just brings him back down to Earth without any dialogue.
“Puss in Boots: The Last Wish” also has several great adversaries for Puss, Kitty and Perrito to contend with, especially since they all want the wishing star too. First, there’s the dysfunctional crime family of Goldilocks (Florence Pugh) and the Three Bears (Ray Winstone, Olivia Colman and Samson Kayo) who are incredibly entertaining as they try to head off the heroes while also butting heads with each other. Another interested party is Big Jack Horner (John Mulaney) who wants to dominate the world with his wish and goes after the star with a group of mercenaries called “The Baker’s Dozen.”
What I love about these villains is that they’re polar opposites of each other. John Mulaney has a very distinct voice and you instantly can tell that it’s him which makes his portrayal of a psychopath with no regard for other lives all the more hilarious. As for Florence Pugh, I had no idea she was the voice of Goldilocks, despite me being a big fan, but she really nailed this performance. Unlike Big Jack, who you’re supposed to have no sympathy for, you actually care about Goldilocks and her family. To be honest, if they made a spin-off film about these guys, I’d be on board.
But the best villain of the film is The Wolf (Wagner Moura) who drives Puss into retirement at the beginning of the film and continuously stalks him, hoping to claim his last life. This character is not only a great foil to Puss in Boots, but he’s actually scary. I saw this film in a theater with mostly grown adults and even they were terrified of him. With a creepy design that includes piercing red eyes, a chilling voice by Moura, superior swordsmanship and a fantastic sense of presence, he’s an intimidating constant throughout the film, especially when his true identity is revealed.
Comedically, “Puss in Boots: The Last Wish” gets a lot of laughs with the perfect balance of mania and some dark comedy that I didn’t see coming. Seeing how Puss lost his other eight lives in rapid succession was a lot of fun as was finding out Perrito’s backstory which was so comically cruel that I don’t dare spoil it. For a family animated film, it has a surprisingly high body count which itself is funny if your sense of humor likes the dark stuff. In fact, I’d go so far as to say that this is one of the few animated films this year that actually deserved a PG rating.
Most importantly, the film really understands the importance of character and earning those touching moments. The film’s ending was very satisfying and made some unexpected choices that were welcome for the characters. With rave reviews and a solid performance at the box office so far, I hope that “Puss in Boots: The Last Wish” is the film that reignites the “Shrek” franchise because, if there’s more to come like this film, this could be the start of the ultimate animated comeback.
