What to say about Puss in Boots!
This movie is simply beautiful, the animation is impeccable, it has some arcade features in the action scenes, and the colors are very bright and strong.
The story goes back to the old puss in Boots with a Vintage touch. makes the cat really have to be a real cat, because of the belief that a cat has 9 lives and due to carelessness it is in its last one. And so, he must live with his last life... unlike many, he doesn't want to live more intensely because of the fear of death.
The film makes the viewer understand the good side of life; that you only live once and you should take advantage of every possible moment and detail. And it still teaches a lesson, where it movie that the most important of any desire or any achievement, friendship is the most important and family too. and like any children's movie, it has a charming and cute character, where he is simple and somewhat naive. and has just the right amount of humor; with a super important role.
In the end, great movie, good and complete story with a somewhat unexpected ending.
This one’s been receiving a lot of praise, and I don’t entirely understand why. The animation’s pretty good, it could’ve been amazing if they played around with the lighting, colour and texture a little bit more. It’s above average for Western animation standards but I can tell it won’t age as well as any of the Spiderverse movies it’s copying stylistically. The story is the typical Dreamworks formula; a kind of generic, predictable adventure quest with a balance of humor for all ages with some more kid friendly slapstick mixed in. Some elements are quite well executed, for example I really like the opening scene that effectively re-establishes this character’s backstory and personality. The set pieces are also quite memorable by playing around with the frame rate and using the style to its benefit. On the other hand, there are elements that feel undercooked, such as the forgettable songs and underwritten supporting characters. Taking out Wolf and Jack Horner and just making Goldilocks the villain instead would probably improve the movie as her crew is one of the more entertaining elements. As is I find the primary villain, besides an interesting resolution, kinda bland. Overall, it’s the exact same movie Dreamworks has been making for the past 25 years. The animation does just enough to keep it fresh, but I see no reason to pretend this is some secret masterpiece when there are other Dreamworks films that are arguably a lot more bold conceptually (Shrek 1&2; Kung Fu Panda 2).
6/10
After reading so many positive reviews for "Puss in Boots: The Last Wish", my expectations were high. Fortunately, they were also mostly fulfilled. I have to admit that I always have certain difficulties finding an approach to animated films that are primarily made for children. With this one, however, that's not such a big problem, as it works well for adults, too.
The film is vibrantly colored, with an animation style that seamlessly blends 3D and 2D effects while also constantly coming up with new creative ideas. The humor works quite well most of the time. There are parts where only adults will probably get the jokes. Nevertheless, the film can be recommended for children without hesitation. There are a few more serious themes addressed, but in the end, everything is easy to comprehend.
For me, the story was perhaps a little too frantic, overloaded, and unfocused. Also, the number of characters could probably have been reduced a bit. Overall, though, I won't complain too much, as the film is so much better than it needs to be. I myself have only seen the very first Shrek movie from the series so far. But "The Last Wish" works very well even without prior knowledge.
Puss in Boots' second solo outing improves on the first in every way.
The biggest improvement comes in the story/writing department. While the original was generally surface level and kid-focused, this film provides a meatier narrative with foundational themes that offer much more for adult audiences. It sounds like a superficial compliment, but this film simply has more going on, with what feels like three times as many story threads as the original. Most importantly, those story threads are successfully weaved together in a way that feels natural and provides worthwhile payoffs.
The improvement in story is intrinsically tied to the incredibly strong supporting cast of characters. The standout out for me was Goldilocks and the three bears, whose side story stands toe to toe with Puss' central narrative in terms of emotional strength. I also enjoyed that their story harkened back to the Shrek days, with its simple yet clever twist on a classic fairy tale. Beyond that, there is of course Perrito, whose wholesome innocence provides a worthwhile sounding board for the rest of the cast, and the big bad wolf, who offers a suitably intimidating presence and fantastic action sequences with every appearance. The only character that didn't do much for me was Jack Horner. I've never been a huge Mulaney fan, as his performances always strike me as same-y, so that was part of it, but I think my real complaint is that the character stands out as one dimensional compared to everyone else in the film. Luckily, that's not as much of a problem for a villain in an animated kids movie, especially when the film offers two other compelling pseudo-villains.
Finally, there is the animation. The film makes the interesting choice to weave in various styles that depart from the classic Dreamworks' look. This mostly occurs during action sequences, and if I had to guess, I'd say the inspiration comes from things like Into the Spiderverse and anime. Under the hood, I also suspect that there may have been a budgetary benefit to this decision. While the transitions caught me off guard initially (the lower frame rate animations in particular), I ultimately was converted, as the animation consistently delivers visually creative action sequences.
The buzz around this movie is justly given. What a great film period, animated or not. The Spider-Verse influence is felt strongly in the action sequences that completely pop from the screen with their harsh, dynamic angles and double timed frame pacing. The topics approached throughout are relatable and very heartfelt; diverse also with each group of characters having their own arc that never feels rushed or quickly wrapped. That and Wolf is one of the greatest villains in an animated movie of all time. So menacing, while still being engaging, the perfect embodiment of Death while still being palatable for a kids movie.
If I had to nitpick, and I'm really scraping here, I'd say that Florence is abnormally flat here; her usual presence that is felt on screen is lost in her somewhat uninspired delivery of Goldilocks, which is only heightened by the superb performances from Winstone and Colman. It's not distractingly bad and only a nitpick, but definitely felt a little lacking when everything else was swinging for the fences.
Do yourself a favour and carve out the 90 minutes to enjoy this gem, it is every bit as good as people are saying.
The tease! The finale tease! Please give this team the Shrek franchise and let them do whatever they want. P L E A S E!
Review by JCVIP 4BlockedParent2022-12-30T05:14:40Z
What a dramatic and sharp improvement from the first. And the first wasn't even bad! But this is like it cut off the shackles the first was under to fit in the formula of the franchise, the studio, and anknated movies of the time in general. Now in Spiderverse's wake they realized they can be daring and be a genuinely great swashbuckling fairy tale instead of an average parodic sendup of one.
In the first sequence alone the film sells you more on Puss' appeal and that he's truly a legend more than the entire first film did. And then in its second action scene to immediately tear that apart and deconstruct it, that that reckless fearlessness was its own firm of cowardice, and that without it Puss is pathetic? To deconstruct the very achetype Puss was made to parody and in doing so propel him to being an actually great example of it instead of just coasting on Banderas' charisma? It's fantastic, and all the characters are equally sharp.
Banderas owns this material, but Hayek who I thought was only serviceable in the first film really picks up her game to match him in this one. She feels more lived in, hitting the sensitive and vulnerable notes as well as the strong and suave ones to perfection. Guillen has been one of my breakout stars over the last few years and shows why as comic relief that is never obnoxious and the heart of the film that's never cloying or unearned. And throw in the antagonists- three groups the film balances perfectly- that run the gamut from Moura's terrifying force of nature to the charming and sympathetic Goldilocks and her Bear family to Mulaney's unrepentantly evil and loving it Jack, and you have a perfect cast of characters.
The world itself pulls in you as well, for the first time not being an anything goes vehicle of parody like Shrek or a slightly lifeless and generic sendup of Zorro-style Mexico, but instead a world with a breathtaking identity of its own. While taking cues from Spider Verse's visuals, it tweaks them to perfectly capture the larger than life and fantastically vibrant awe of a fairy tale. It doesn't look like any other animated movie like Shrek did in its later years, or like Puss in Boots did to muted response. This is the film that justifies more stories in this world, because it finally feels lived in and invested in, not as meta jokes or deconstructions of genre but as s setting in of itself. Even side characters like the Serpent Sisters have such charming designs, performances, and lively animation that I want to see more of it. It's fascinating to think what a Shrek film could possibly look like under this new vision, and for the first time, I'm interested in seeing why.
Balancing winning humor, well crafted themes, and excellent drama and characterization, Puss In Boots: The Last Wish exceeded my expectations. From the trailers, I noted the Spider-Verse influence and thought it would be a similar visual feast, but would probably miss that film's passion in other areas. What I got instead was that passion to spare, and one of my favorite films of the year.