Puss in Boots: The Last Wish
This belated sequel to an animated spin-off is far, far better than it has any right to be. Not only is it a genuinely entertaining family adventure movie, but the animated action sequences are some of the best since Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse, and the plot (involving an aged main character coming to terms with their own mortality) has surprising depth for a “kids’ film”.
Premise: Having used up eight of his nine lives, fearless hero Puss in Boots (voiced by Antonio Banderas) decides to retire from adventuring after being confronted by his own mortality during a duel with a mysterious bounty hunting Wolf. But his retirement is disturbed when the Goldilocks (Florence Pugh) and the Three Bears Crime Family (Ray Winstone, Olivia Colman and Samson Kayo) come looking for a magical star that has the power to grant a single wish, and Puss spots an opportunity to recover his eight lost lives.
Review:
It’s been 13 years since the Shrek series concluded with Shrek Forever After, and it’s been 12 years since the first Puss in Boots spin-off movie hit cinemas – so it’s probably safe to say that no one was waiting with bated breath for this belated sequel. As much as I enjoyed the first, second and fourth Shrek films (the less said about Shrek the Third, the better...), I honestly struggle to remember anything about the 2011 Puss in Boots movie, which in any event was a prequel to the character’s first appearance in Shrek 2, meaning that it didn’t move his character any further forward anyway.
So when this belated sequel was first announced, I confess that I rolled my eyes at the thought – but I’m happy to report that Puss in Boots: The Last Wish is actually infinitely better than anyone could have reasonably expected.
“…works on different levels for kids & adults…”
Firstly, it doesn’t feel at all like the sixth film in an extended series, as it’s completely accessible to brand new viewers. Yes, there are a couple of in-jokes that may go over the heads of people who haven’t seen the earlier films, but really, everything you need to know about the character and his backstory is neatly and elegantly conveyed in the film itself. As I mentioned above, although I’ve seen the first Puss in Boots movie, I don’t remember anything about it, but that was no handicap at all to thoroughly enjoying this movie.
Like some of the best animated family films, Puss in Boots: The Last Wish works on different levels for kids and adults. Children are likely to see this as a fun packed adventure story, with Puss and his friends engaged in a race against time to find the magical Wishing Star before their various rivals do, while at the same time avoiding the unstoppable bounty hunter Wolf (voiced by Wagner Moura with just the right level of charming menace) who is tracking Puss.
“…unexpected depth in terms of dealing with some weighty themes…”
Adults, meanwhile, can still enjoy the family friendly adventure, but the film also provides some unexpected depth in terms of dealing with some more weighty themes. Puss being forced to confront his own mortality after discovering that he’s on the last of his nine lives is a surprisingly mature theme for a “kids’ movie”, and Puss’ reaction to his new sense of vulnerability feels real and borders on PTSD in places. These themes do give the film a darker tone than the previous movies in the series, although it’s still one that’s suitable for most children (although very young children may find the scenes with the Wolf a little intense).
But to counterbalance the darker themes, the film still has plenty of light and humorous elements (which younger viewers are far more likely to focus on than the more mature subtext). There’s plenty of fun to be had in the interplay between Puss (voiced by Antonio Banderas), his ex-fiancée Kitty Softpaws (Salma Hayek), and their new comedy sidekick, a naïve and overexcitable unnamed puppy voiced by Harvey Guillén – while Florence Pugh, Ray Winstone, Olivia Colman and Samson Kayo do a lot with a relatively small amount of screen time as the Three Bears Crime Family and their adopted daughter, Goldilocks. The third faction in the race to find the Wishing Star is led by ‘Big’ Jack Horner (John Mulaney), an inventive take on the nursery rhyme character who uses various magical items from other fairy tales to aid him in his quest. The voice cast is universally great, and keep the tone relatively light even when the film is touching on darker themes.
“…absolutely must-see family entertainment…”
Another way in which the film feels like a breath of fresh air is that you can see that its action sequences have wholehearted embraced the more kinetic and inventive animation style that made Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse such a blast. The opening action sequence, in which Puss battles a giant to save a village, is tonnes of fun and sets a high bar for the animation in the rest of the movie, which never feels staid or pedestrian. Although the animation in the action sequences is the main visual highlight, the animation throughout the movie has adopted a more artistic, digital-paintbrush-style, as opposed to the very flat animated 3D models used in the earlier Shrek movies in the 00s.
Overall, this is absolutely must-see family entertainment, combining an exciting adventure story and light-hearted humour for the kids, with beautiful animation and interesting character moments for the adults. After over a decade away, this return to the Shrek-universe is a joy (and not just a nostalgic one).
