Written by Deepesh Vasudev
A Cute Movie with Serious Claws
Puss in Boots: The Last Wish is a solid all-rounder with ample humour and action that still successfully dabbles in mature themes like what it means to be part of a family and what makes a life worth living.
This film is set after the first one and Shrek Forever After, with the titular character realising that he only has one life left out of the nine that cats usually have. So begins the adventure to find the Wishing Star, so that Puss in Boots can get his nine lives back. But Puss is not the only one after the Wishing Star, with an ensemble of characters inspired by fairy tales and nursery rhymes, like Goldilocks and the Three Bears, who are a crime family in this version and a Wolf Bounty Hunter who is after Puss in Boots.
The film, maybe inspired by how Spider-Man: Into the Spiderverse used comic books, has a central animation style more akin to illustrated fairy tale books and this inspiration is most noteworthy in the film during its action sequences. The animators play with the apparent frame-rate, and perspectives, and on more than one occasion, create intricate long takes that keep the action at a frantic and frenetic pace. These great action sequences are elevated with the colourful characters that inhabit them. Puss in Boots and Kitty Softpaws can be considered the leads of the film, being the only returning characters from the previous film and with a hidden point of tension that is unravelled during the film. They are accompanied by a new character named “Perrito” who is the comedic opposite of the leads – he is not as cool or as smooth as them but he complements them in heart and warmth, making the trio the complete package. Some of the best humour and action accompanies the trio.
The Goldilocks and the Three Bears are one of the two big surprises of the film, and in certain moments crossing the lead trio in humour but their most important contribution is the arc that Goldilocks goes through, telling the audience what it means to be a family. The quality is similar to the arc that Puss goes through as well. While these characters are excellent the rest are good and do not detract from the film. Maybe except for “Big” Jack Horner, who does not even go through an arc and is just evil, though he is a very fun character to watch.
The experimentation of the art style, and the risks that Dreamworks take, peak with the main antagonist of the film, The Wolf Bounty Hunter, whose presentation would fit well in the horror genre. The stellar performance by Wagner Moura, the costume design and his sinister sickles stayed in my memory long after the film ended. This matches the fear that Puss in Boots feels whenever he meets the Wolf, which is very unlike his character in previous films but still fits.
Puss in Boots: The Last Wish feels like an evolution not only in style and technology from the previous films but also in its themes. Abandoning the always silly mood of the previous films in the Shrek Universe, the movie incorporates excellent action sequences and bone-chilling horror scenes to boot. Puss in Boots: The Last Wish is worth your time and more, I am excited to see what comes next.
——————————————————————————-
This review is published as an extension of *SCAPE’s Film Critics Lab: A Writing Mentorship Programme organised by The Filmic Eye, with support from the Singapore Film Society.
About the Author: Deepesh Vasudev is a filmmaker and also majors in Philosophy at NUS. He has created short films, music videos, adverts and visual poems, to name a few.
——————————————————————————-
About the Movie:
Directed by: Joel Crawford
Cast: Antonio Banderas (Puss in Boots), Salma Hayek (Kitty Softpaws), Florence Pugh (Goldilocks), Harvey Guillen (Perro), Olivia Colman (Mama Bear), John Mulaney (Jack Horner), Samson Kayo (Baby Bear), Da’Vine Joy Randolph (Mama Luna), Wagner Moura (Big Bad Wolf)
Year: 2022
Duration: 1h 45mins
Language: English
Synopsis: Puss in Boots discovers that his passion for adventure has taken its toll: he has burnt through eight of his nine lives. Puss sets out on an epic journey to find the mythical Last Wish and restore his nine lives.
Catch Puss in Boots: The Last Wish in cinemas now.
