Puss in Boots: The Last Wish
Puss in Boots: The Last Wish
Starring Antonio Banderas, Salma Hayek Pinault, Harvey Guillen, Florence Pugh
Directed by Joel Crawford & Januel Mercado
Starring Antonio Banderas, Salma Hayek Pinault, Harvey Guillen, Florence Pugh
Directed by Joel Crawford & Januel Mercado
The "Shrek" movies are still considered some of the best non-Disney animated films ever created, and one of their spinoff films was the 2011 Oscar-nominated "Puss in Boots" featuring the voice of Antonio Banderas as the Zorro-like British shorthair swashbuckler cat adventurer. As the "Shrek" franchise ended, so did the adventures of Puss in Boots - until eleven years after the first film, with "Puss in Boots: the Last Wish." Sometimes I get my preconceived notions wrong, and when I saw the trailer I literally groaned out loud, thinking this would be another cash grab on a long-dead franchise with no soul whatsoever and lackluster animation - but after watching it I realized I was wrong on all accounts. Not only was it a fantastic animated feature, but it more than holds its own against its history and serves as a welcome addition to the "Shrek" cinematic universe.
The adventurer Puss in Boots (Antonio Banderas) is enjoying running from the law, singing songs at local bars, hitting on the women, and finding adventure wherever he goes. Yet after one bout with a giant creature, Puss is crushed by a bell and dies. He wakes up in a veterinarian's office and learns that he's died eight times - so he's on his last life. At first he's not worried, but then he comes into contact with the bounty hunter the Big Bad Wolf (Wagner Moura), and he's almost defeated by him. Realizing his mortality, he fakes his death and lives with cat lady Mama Luna (Da'Vine Joy Randolph) and slowly acclimates to being a generic house cat, and meets Perrito (Harvey Guillen), a therapy dog disguising himself as a cat in order to live at Mama Luna's.
One day she's visited by Goldilocks (Florence Pugh) and the Three Bears (Olivia Colman, Ray Winstone, and Samson Kayo) who are looking for Puss in Boots and inadvertently reveal that they're looking for the Wishing Star. Puss wants to get to the star first so he can make a wish to get his lives back and escapes with Perrito, finding the map to the star at the home of villain "Big" Jack Horner (John Mulaney). As he's about to steal the map he learns its already stolen by his former paramour Kitty Softpaws (Salma Hayek Pinault), and they form an uneasy truce in order to get to the star, all the while being hunted by Goldi and "Big" Jack Horner, all of whom want the star for their own personal reasons. The Big Bad Wolf also continues to pursue Puss in hopes of bringing him to the afterlife.
"Puss in Boots: The Last Wish" is a fascinating film in that it's one that's designed for children, yet its themes are very adult, and honestly there's several moments that would be simply terrifying for young children, especially when Puss is pursued by the Wolf, who's red eyes glow menacingly and his whole demeanor is downright frightening. The heavy themes of life and the fragility of it weighs heavy on Puss's mind, and transfers to the viewer's minds as well - we, now like Puss, only has one life to live, how will we live it? Will we fear the Reaper or welcome him? Will we fight to our last breath? Who will be there to share in our enjoyments and comfort us in our sadness? The themes are deep but it doesn't all end in sadness, but rather optimism about living our best life and not taking anything (or anyone) for granted.
Antonio Banderas returns to voice the lovable Puss in Boots with his traditional blend of humor and heart, and it doesn't feel like eleven years has gone by since his last adventure. He's now given a new lease on life with the thought that this is his last life, and you sense the determination as well as the desperation in his voice as he pursues the Wishing Star to elongate his life. Also returning to the fold is Banderas's lifelong friend Salma Hayek Pinault, who plays Kitty Softpaws with her own sense of power and strength, but also longs to find someone to trust. Harvey Guillen rounds out this ragtag team of adventurers as the lovable, always optimistic therapy dog Perrito, a role that could've easily gone to Kevin Hart but thankfully wasn't.
The villains are also voiced by incredibly talented actors and actresses who put their whole heart and soul into the project. Florence Pugh's Goldi seems villainous at first but after realizing the wish she wants to make, she gets a whole sense of sadness about her. Her adoptive family the Three Bears also have moments to shine, especially Oscar-winning actress Olivia Colman who plays Mama Bear and who treats Goldi like her own child. John Mulaney voices "Big" Jack Horner with a sense of evil that is infectious and darkly humorous, and Wagner Moura's deep, foreboding voice adds to the Wolf's overarching dark nature.
Although the story veers to traditional adventure territory with everyone searching for the fabled Wishing Star, it doesn't detract from the performances on screen nor the lavish, spellbinding animation that's delivered, especially when it switches to action sequences and the animation itself changes to a sort of living comic-book feel akin to "Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse." Themes of teamwork, family, and selflessness are also infused into the proceedings that culminate in surprisingly emotional moments for an animated film about a cat cosplaying as Zorro, but through the magic of cinema it accomplishes its task on every level.
The Score: A
The adventurer Puss in Boots (Antonio Banderas) is enjoying running from the law, singing songs at local bars, hitting on the women, and finding adventure wherever he goes. Yet after one bout with a giant creature, Puss is crushed by a bell and dies. He wakes up in a veterinarian's office and learns that he's died eight times - so he's on his last life. At first he's not worried, but then he comes into contact with the bounty hunter the Big Bad Wolf (Wagner Moura), and he's almost defeated by him. Realizing his mortality, he fakes his death and lives with cat lady Mama Luna (Da'Vine Joy Randolph) and slowly acclimates to being a generic house cat, and meets Perrito (Harvey Guillen), a therapy dog disguising himself as a cat in order to live at Mama Luna's.
One day she's visited by Goldilocks (Florence Pugh) and the Three Bears (Olivia Colman, Ray Winstone, and Samson Kayo) who are looking for Puss in Boots and inadvertently reveal that they're looking for the Wishing Star. Puss wants to get to the star first so he can make a wish to get his lives back and escapes with Perrito, finding the map to the star at the home of villain "Big" Jack Horner (John Mulaney). As he's about to steal the map he learns its already stolen by his former paramour Kitty Softpaws (Salma Hayek Pinault), and they form an uneasy truce in order to get to the star, all the while being hunted by Goldi and "Big" Jack Horner, all of whom want the star for their own personal reasons. The Big Bad Wolf also continues to pursue Puss in hopes of bringing him to the afterlife.
"Puss in Boots: The Last Wish" is a fascinating film in that it's one that's designed for children, yet its themes are very adult, and honestly there's several moments that would be simply terrifying for young children, especially when Puss is pursued by the Wolf, who's red eyes glow menacingly and his whole demeanor is downright frightening. The heavy themes of life and the fragility of it weighs heavy on Puss's mind, and transfers to the viewer's minds as well - we, now like Puss, only has one life to live, how will we live it? Will we fear the Reaper or welcome him? Will we fight to our last breath? Who will be there to share in our enjoyments and comfort us in our sadness? The themes are deep but it doesn't all end in sadness, but rather optimism about living our best life and not taking anything (or anyone) for granted.
Antonio Banderas returns to voice the lovable Puss in Boots with his traditional blend of humor and heart, and it doesn't feel like eleven years has gone by since his last adventure. He's now given a new lease on life with the thought that this is his last life, and you sense the determination as well as the desperation in his voice as he pursues the Wishing Star to elongate his life. Also returning to the fold is Banderas's lifelong friend Salma Hayek Pinault, who plays Kitty Softpaws with her own sense of power and strength, but also longs to find someone to trust. Harvey Guillen rounds out this ragtag team of adventurers as the lovable, always optimistic therapy dog Perrito, a role that could've easily gone to Kevin Hart but thankfully wasn't.
The villains are also voiced by incredibly talented actors and actresses who put their whole heart and soul into the project. Florence Pugh's Goldi seems villainous at first but after realizing the wish she wants to make, she gets a whole sense of sadness about her. Her adoptive family the Three Bears also have moments to shine, especially Oscar-winning actress Olivia Colman who plays Mama Bear and who treats Goldi like her own child. John Mulaney voices "Big" Jack Horner with a sense of evil that is infectious and darkly humorous, and Wagner Moura's deep, foreboding voice adds to the Wolf's overarching dark nature.
Although the story veers to traditional adventure territory with everyone searching for the fabled Wishing Star, it doesn't detract from the performances on screen nor the lavish, spellbinding animation that's delivered, especially when it switches to action sequences and the animation itself changes to a sort of living comic-book feel akin to "Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse." Themes of teamwork, family, and selflessness are also infused into the proceedings that culminate in surprisingly emotional moments for an animated film about a cat cosplaying as Zorro, but through the magic of cinema it accomplishes its task on every level.
The Score: A
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