Puss in Boots: The Last Wish (2022) - Movie Review
- Red
- Feb 6, 2023
- 4 min read
Directed by Joel Crawford
Puss in Boots; The Last Wish, directed by Joel Crawford (Trolls Holiday, The Croods: A New Age) is a very fun ride full of laughs, action and emotion.
This sequel follows the titular character, Puss who has lost eight of his nine lives as a result of his reckless behaviour. Now, he's on a quest to find the wishing star in order to regain his lost lives and carry on living the life of the self-proclaimed "legend", Puss in Boots.
On this journey, we encounter Kitty Softpaws (Salma Hayek), a familiar character from the previous film, and their new companion, Perrito the Dog, played by Harvey Guillen. At first, I expected Perrito to be an annoying character, reducing the fun vibe of the film. I was certainly proven wrong - he greatly contrasts Puss which adds intrigue and gives them a relationship that's fun to watch. He brings a lot of heart to the film too. Perrito has a backstory and is vital to Puss' character arc - he isn't like animated characters in many other films: one-note and only present for the purpose of adding humour or to sell toys. Antonio Banderas returns as the lead role and is a joy to watch on screen; the cat's charisma and charming nature is hilarious.
The movie has been nominated for an Oscar for Best Animated Feature Film and I believe that it deserves all the acclaim it has received and more!
The primary villain of the movie is "Death". (Yes, a literal personification of death!!) I was blown away by how creepy this character is - hearing his slow whistles prior to his appearances give the audience an uneasy feeling of dread, for sure. I feel that Death may be a little too scary for younger audiences, but Dreamworks have always geared towards slightly older children anyway. Every villain needs a good motive, and this Wolf certainly has one. Death doesn't just want to kill Puss because he's evil, instead, he feels as though the cat has wasted his 8 previous lives and therefore doesn't deserve to waste this last one too. It's clear to see that there is a moral or a deeper meaning to this seemingly simple animated movie - that we must cherish our life and live it to the full.
Death is the stand-out of the film - right from his introduction. After reinforcing Puss' reputation by having him defeat a monster, we encounter Death who is portrayed as a calm and collected antagonist. He massively outplays Puss and therefore is instantly a massive threat looming over our protagonist after his narrow escape.
The film is well written, with plenty of humour throughout. The animation style is incredible, as the film opts for a hand drawn, fairy-tale illustration design instead of a solely CGI 3D animation look. The frame rate varies depending on the scene which elevates the already extremely engaging action. The director, Crawford, combines interesting camera angles, fluid movements and dynamic slow-motion shots to make the audience feel like they're real there with our hero, Puss. The production design and cinematography compliment each other nicely and make for some stunning shots.
Other fairy-tale characters are prominent in the movie too, primarily Goldilocks (Florence Pugh) and the 3 bears. Their banter adds humour to the film and they act as competition for Puss in Boots - they also want the Wishing Star. In addition, little-known nursery rhyme character Jack Horner (John Mulaney) appears as an antagonist with his large crew of underlings, which further escalates the size of the enormous cast. This could have easily over-complicated the plot and caused switching back and forth between the characters to become messy. The Last Wish avoids this by having a clear focus on our protagonists and having them occasionally cross-paths with the rest of the characters; it isn't convoluted.
The pacing of the film is consistent and its third act pays off all setups and ties loose ends. After some exhilarating action, Puss, Kitty, Goldilocks and the other characters realise that they have what they wanted and aren't in need of the wishing star. They decide to destroy it in order to stop a villain like Big Jack Horner from using it for the wrong reasons in the future. This outcome makes sense and satisfies the audience, even if it is a tad cliché.
Puss' character development is fantastic. He learns that he needs to cherish his life and make the most of it, and is a far better person at the end of the film compared to the pompous one we see at the beginning. Goldilocks' character arc stands out also, after yearning for a "real" family, she realises that the three bears are the only family she needs, as they cared for her when she needed it the most. This is another lesson for children, showing the importance of kindness.
Puss in Boots: The Last Wish is a dynamic, fast-paced film with multi-dimensional characters and well-directed action. Its story is an allegory and its character arcs are well accomplished. I highly recommend this one - it stands out among the crowd of modern animated movies.
Watch Puss in Boots: The Last Wish on Amazon Prime Video
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