Puss in Boots: The Last Wish

Voices of: Antonio Banderas, Salma Hayek, Harvey Guillen, Florence Pugh, Olivia Colman, Ray Winstone, Samson Kayo, John Mulaney, Wagner Moura, Da'Vine Joy Randolph
Directed by: Joel Crawford, Januel Mercado
Rating: PG
Genre: Animated, Adventure, Comedy
2022

Times Seen:
Tim: 1

Summary: Puss in Boots (Antonio Banderas) is devastated when he learns he's used up 8 of his 9 lives. He embarks on a dangerous quest to discover a fallen wishing star that grants one wish.

Review:

Tim: 11 years after the original Puss in Boots movie, Dreamworks returned to that world with a sequel. I have to admit, the first movie wasn't very inspiring. It was okay, but ultimately a disappointing animated movie. I really like the character of Puss in Boots, but his first solo outing left a lot to be desired. That context is important, because Joel Crawford's Puss in Boots: The Last Wish improves on the first film in every way. This movie still has too many flaws, but it's actually a good movie. It delivers a more in-depth, emotional story. I have to say that I'm frankly shocked. There was no indication that this movie would be this good. Sometimes sequels improve drastically on first films, but it's a rare enough occasion to cause for a big celebration.

I'm a huge fan of this film's story. Puss in Boots was always such an untouchable character. To flip that script on its head and make him incredibly vulnerable was brilliant. His overwhelming fear here made him interesting. He's portrayed as a complex character, flawed and interesting. His journey is so entertaining because he's pulled in many different directions. He wants to act like he usually does, but he's often paralyzed by fear. He's trying to be a good guy, but some of his motivations are incredibly selfish. Puss has to reflect on who he is and what he stands for. I wasn't prepared for an animated kids movie to go that in depth on the protagonist. It makes for a compelling story. This film felt like it was about something, not just a vehicle to sell merchandise. The messaging was powerful.

Puss is a great character and Antonio Banderas is absolutely perfect to bring him to life. He has such a distinct, unmistakable voice, yet he manages to make it feel like Puss' voice. This isn't Banderas voicing a character, it genuinely feels like we're just listening to Puss. Salma Hayek doesn't quite get to this level, but she's still outstanding as Kitty. She's likewise the perfect choice to voice this character and I always love when Banderas and Hayek get to work together. They are a terrific pair. Harvey Guillen was excellent as Perrito, an unexpected delight. Perrito accounts for two of the funniest scenes in the entire film- they both involve bleeping out swear words, so we're not talking high comedy here. Still, it doesn't change the fact that it's incredibly, incredibly funny. I loved these three characters together.

The movie suffers a bit with the supporting characters. I'm a huge Florence Pugh fan, but I just did not care for the character of Goldilocks. I was constantly bored by her predictable character. The three bears were fine, but we spend way too much time with these supporting characters and it's not worth it. We get to hear Olivia Colman and Ray Winstone do great voice work, but the characters themselves aren't great. The same can be said for John Mulaney's Jack Horner. He's kind of an instantly forgettable, bland villain. He does bad things because he's bad, end of story. This aspect of the film was really weak and it's a major reason I didn't like the movie more.

Now, contrast this with the Wolf. What an unforgettable antagonist. He's legitimately creepy. Every time he's on screen, you immediately sit up and pay attention. It helps that the Whistle of Death immediately causes your hair to stand up on end. He's such an iconic villain, I loved every second of his screen time. That was perhaps my favorite part of the entire film. Goldilocks was weak, but this character was absolutely incredible- I'll go so far as to say it's one of the best animated antagonists I've ever seen.

As you'd expect, Dreamworks pulled out all the stops for the animation. The entire film is beautifully rendered. The mixing of different animation styles, especially the leap to the 2.5D style was simply jaw-dropping. I love that Dreamworks is embracing this style. To be fair, it was Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse that really put this style on the map, and Dreamworks' The Bad Guys used it to wonderful effect, too. The mixing of styles here created something that felt truly special.

I really enjoyed Puss in Boots: The Last Wish- far more than I liked the original film. It has some flaws, especially in multiple underdeveloped and uninteresting characters. However, it's beautifully animated and tells an emotional story with actual depth. It's occasionally hilarious and always entertaining. This is a good movie, but it's that rare sequel that is clearly superior.

Rating 1-10
Tim's Rating- 7



If You Enjoyed This Movie, We Recommend: Puss in Boots, The Bad Guys