Puss in Boots: The Last Wish

Puss in Boots: The Last Wish had a lot to live up to as most of my critic and casual friends have been praising the film, and for the most part the film delivers. From the opening frames, the unique art style fills the screen and is incredibly captivating. There is some excellent combination of 3D animation with 2D styles that I have not seen before. The combat frame rate shift was also a nice touch that worked better than I was expecting. Action was top notch with some incredible set pieces and superb choreography. The Last Wish deals with some pretty heavy themes for an animated children's movie. Death is something that all humans will have to face which was handled in such a nuanced and mature way here. From panic attacks to haunting imagery, death looms large throughout the entire film and serves as a menacing villain. The journey our heroes take to confront this fear is very heartwarming and will resonant with most audience members. With most DreamWorks pictures, the comedy is targeted at both children and adults. I did find myself laughing out loud at plenty of jokes, but just as many landed flat for me. This would be more of an issue, but this is an incredibly balanced film with great action and dramatic moments that leave little room for a few flat jokes to make a large impact on my experience. I genuinely believe that this movie has restored the Shrek universe and can propel the future projects upward. Hype has officially been restored for Shrek 5! Score: 86% Verdict: Great

I did not expect the sequel to a decent spin-off Dreamworks film from over a decade ago to be one of the most poignant, introspective, genuinely hilarious, and heartwarming films of the year. But here we are. After an overly cheesy, somewhat clunky opening sequence, The Last Wish very quickly begins developing its zany assortment of characters into distinct quirky personalities with sympathetic desires and clear goals. The film juggles several character arcs and it's almost miraculous how it successfully handled all of them with proper set up and satisfying, emotionally weighty payoffs. The screenplay is wacky, witty, and also bursting with heart as it deals with weighty themes of trusting others and finding purpose in any circumstances. And it tackles these themes in ways that are always understandable to all ages but never insultingly oversimplified. What I also didn't expect was that the action sequences would be so well-choreographed and beautifully animated, and that the movie would often be terrifying and violent at times. I adored this film. I think it's Dreamworks' best film since Megamind and it's easily the best true family film of the year.

I can't think for a minute that this would have worked at all, had it not for been for the entertainingly over-the-top voice talents of Antonio Banderas in the title roll. His cat is a sort of combination of Cyrano de Bergerac and Casanova - full of flair, dashing and adept with his flourishing blade. Until, that is, he has a run-in with a church bell that brings him face to face with his mortality. He has only one of his nine lives left, and death is poised to come claim him! Shattered, he seeks refuge in a home for cats where he encounters "Perrito" - a small, naive and lost little dog who is determined to befriend him. Meantime, the not so little "Jack Horner" and "Goldilocks" and her three bears are looking for a map that will guide them to a wishing star that, well, it does what it says on the tin. The bears decide to track down our eponymous hero to help them procure it, but he and his feline rival "Kitty" (and their new doggy pal) decide to join forces and must face a series of tortuous escapades in the race to succeed in their quest. It must be 45 years since I last read the "Goldilocks" story and try as I might, I just couldn't remember it as it gradually evolves as one of the threads of this enjoyably crafted montage of fable and charisma. It's pretty action packed with Banderas proving his singing hasn't really improved much since "Evita" (1996). It's a family movie for sure with messages of loyalty, affection, determination etc.; but there is still enough in the dialogue for those older folks in the auditorium to raise a smile and keep it interesting for 100 minutes. The animation is super and this character driven adventure is well worth seeing on a big screen if you can. Maybe not one for tiny kids - but for us bigger ones, this is fun.

This one sort of slipped through the cracks didn't it? I mean, it has a very good, very heartwarming story that helps define a character's growth over the length of the plot. It has a story about hope and sacrifice and struggle. It is a good movie. How does a movie this good get made today? Isn't this sort of the opposite of everything that current Hollywood stands for? Where is the strong female lead replacing Puss in Boots as the hero? Where are the identity politics? Where is the nonstop shaming of Straight White Men? Where is the depiction of half the country as absolute evil? How can they make a western movie that doesn't shame the west at every possible turn? I have absolutely no idea how this could have been made, but what I can say is that it is fantastic, it is moving, it is fun for the whole family and it has a decent nonpolitical message. The main character is heroic. This is just... well, this is a movie that doesn't seem like it could possibly be made in today's Hollywood.

Really good movie better then the first. I loved the beard it was pretty funny looking. The storyline was way better then part one.

A sequel miles better than the (good) original - that's a rarity! Those behind 'Puss in Boots: The Last Wish' absolutely smashed it out the park with this one. I had heard murmurs of hype about it so was expecting it to be very good, yet it still managed to surpass my expectations. It features a great story with well utilised characters, of which there are quite a few. Soon after hitting play I wasn't actually sure about the animation, for one Puss himself looked different to how I remember him from 'Shrek'. However, those thoughts quickly disappeared because the style is, in fact, gorgeous. You can tell the people making this had heart in it, rather than just milking the IP for another installment. Antonio Banderas remains a joy as Puss in Boots, a character that wouldn't be as memorable without him. Harvey Guillén comes in with a standout showing, I do think Perrito is the least interesting visually but the character (and voice) is what makes the dog a successful addition. John Mulaney (thought it was Zach Braff, ngl) is a positive newbie too. Florence Pugh, Olivia Colman, Ray Winstone and Samson Kayo are also pluses, as are Salma Hayek and Wagner Moura. Evidently, it's a quality cast. A minor shame we didn't get anyone big back from the original series, though I do approve with how this one concludes in that regard.

76/100 With Death in pursuit, Puss in Boots discovers he's down to his last life and searches for the fabled wish star to get a new set of 9 lives. This was a delightful and very funny fairy tale that included a multitude of characters and references to the fairy tales of old. The portrayals were spot on and Puss' new 'friend', Perrito the dog, portrayed by Harvey Guillen, was an absolute treasure. The animation and imagination that went into this were fantastic making it the best film in the franchise that I've seen since "Shrek 2". Most definitely fun for the whole family. -- DrNostromo.com

I loved Shrek 1 and especially Shrek 2. From there the franchise, well, it wasn't bad, but it didn't stay as great. Then came the first Puss in Boots movie, and, and I mean that in no way negative, I couldn't remember ANYTHING of it. Like, until I looked it up again, I couldn't remember who the antagonists were, but that might just be my silly mind. That said, I'm sure I'd like it if I rewatched it now! And then...came this one. A "Shrek spin-off" arriving years after the last great Shrek movie being one of the most impressive animated movies was certainly not something I expected. And most importantly: I will not forget about the antagonists of this one anytime soon! All of them are awesome! But, let's start with the basics: The visuals are, as expected for the studio and year, very nice and impressive. And THEN you have the action scenes. A, at first, strange low-framerate kind of animation style, mix of 2D and 3D styles. In the very first battle this confused me. From then on, once you get used to it, it's an absolutely lovely piece of art and I really grew to love it. And then, well, the characters: Puss was always great since he was introduced in the Shrek movies. He still has his sass and arrogance and the voice acting is wonderful with that! And then we see him riddled with fear, doubt and giving up everything that was important to him, such a lovely way to depict other sides of him. Kitty is lovely. Here, as well: I can barely remember anything from the first movie. But in this one she's fun, likable, cute yet not to be underestimated. A perfect example to show how a character can be strong and sassy without being an ass. And then, wow, the antagonists. Three antagonistic groups, and all of them are a different kind of antagonist, and all of them fit perfectly and get enough time for their personalities to be displayed. Jack Horner, a very classical "I'm just fucking evil for the sake of it and I know it". No sad backstories, no asking for redemption, just "Fuck everyone but me", and his interaction with the cricket is absolutely lovely! Goldilocks and the bears, a completely different side. Not even really evil, just her trying to find a place to call home, even if it means fighting against anyone in her way. She could very well be the main character in her own right. And then, of course, the wolf. I can see why people love him. Fearsome, unbeatable, factual and usually uncaring. Until he has to deal with Puss far to long and you finally see what happens when an unstoppable force, that is supposed to be neutral, is fed up with "being neutral". And his trademark whistle that is followed by moments of terror, absolutely lovely depiction! And then, of course, there's Perrito! The most optimistic, no single bad thought, light in the dark "lovable idiot" that actually turns out not to be an idiot at all. His personality seems simple, well, it is, to a degree. He's the perfect example of how a person can turn out when life always gives them shit...and they decide not to grow bitter because of it, but instead get EVEN MORE positive for the sake of others. He's lovely and just thinking about him brings tears to my eyes as I write this. --- So, yeah. This movie is absolutely awesome. The most wonderful characters and SO much emotion, sadness, fear and laughing, all that in a beautiful piece of art. I'm having a hard time imagining how they can follow up on this one, but even if they don't, well, this one will stay in my heart!