Puss in Boots discovers that his passion for adventure has taken its toll: he has burned through eight of his nine lives. Puss sets out on an epic journey to find the mythical Last Wish and restore his nine lives.
Antonio Banderas, Salma Hayek, Harvey Guillén, Florence Pugh, Olivia Colman, Ray Winstone, John Mulaney & Wagner Moura.
Puss in Boots: The Last Wish takes the Shrek universe to a whole new level with its ‘Spider-Man: Into The Spiderverse’ inspired animation style that is as cool as Puss In Boots is as a character. It’s fluid, exciting, quick and visually engaging complimenting the smart existential story that was incredibly refreshing for animation this year.
It was always a big challenge for Puss in Boots as a character to lead a film greater than the Shrek films, but I do truly believe they have finally done it here. Led by the brilliantly entertaining Antonio Banderas who brings so much more complexity & coolness to the character. The writing places Puss in Boots in a new situation for him as he faces his final life, after leading a careless life that has put him into bad scenario after another. He begins to learn that he needs to start properly living a full life, the reason why he is here and his purpose. Until he is shaken to his core by an interaction with The Big Bad Wolf, played ferociously by Wagner Moura, that makes him realise he isn’t the legend he thought he was. This introductory scene left a huge mark on the film due to its brilliant animation and directing, elevated by the electric music and slick sound design.
The art direction and editing stood out most, never wasting a single frame and each contributing to the impact of each sequence. Although constantly engaging the entire film, it’s hard to ignore a couple storylines that weren’t as narratively exciting as the main one. Specifically the 3 bear story & Jack Horner’s, which wasn’t too much of a letdown to the whole film, just not as exciting. A certain character arc later in the film felt particularly rushed and would have much preferred a longer runtime to flesh that aspect out, offering better emotional closure.
It’s also hard to ignore how hilarious most the humour was, leaning into a lot of adult humour that I greatly appreciated. Keeping the film fresh & never falling into any moment of dullness. Puss In Boots: The Last Wish is one of the best, most thrilling animated films of the year & gives me hope for the this trend of animation to continue.
