by Caden Massey
As a preface, I was unaware that there were other “Puss in Boots” movies, and I’m still not sure they exist.
I remember something about Humpty Dumpty, but I think I made that up in a fever-dream. If I say something that is explained in another movie, please have mercy on me. You aren’t sure what to expect when you hear about a “Puss in Boots” movie, I sure wasn’t.
But, what I lacked in expectation, I made up for in enthusiasm. I saw the movie on January 1, and I couldn’t think of a better start to the new year than a funny orange cat. Boy was I right.
Minor Spoiler Alert: The movie is about Puss in Boots being on his last life (like the saying “cats have nine lives”).
Puss is very full of himself and thinks that he is indestructible, but when he has a run-in with a new foe and loses, Puss runs off to a home for stray cats.
At this place, Puss loses his edge and grows a cat beard. He also meets this dog that never gets a name (kinda). Him and this dog learn about a way to grant a wish, and Puss wants to use it to get his nine lives back.
The animation is really good at some parts, and mid at others. The movie opens with a fight scene that feels a lot like the animation style of the “Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse” movies, which was very weird to see. It was sprinkled throughout the movie, and I was very glad to see it.
If you like interesting animation, I would check out this movie. “Puss in Boots: The Last Wish” was pretty funny. There were a bunch of adult references in the movie that were of course hidden from the children, but there are a few parts where the dog just starts cussing and going off (these are all censored). This is part of the joke. I didn’t laugh hysterically, but I did giggle from time to time.
I feel like I have an obligation to let the reader know that there were a few references to the film and characters from “Shrek.” I’m talking like a couple of seconds, but still.
The villains of the movie are good. I do get a little tired of sympathetic villains, but I also find them intriguing, so I was really excited that the movie had an irredeemable villain (which is made very clear by a definitely non-Disney character) and a sympathetic one. You could argue that it is lame to have both, but I don’t care. I liked it.
The voice acting kind of surprised me. Most of it felt really genuine, as if a lot of effort was made to show they actually care. Goldilocks and the Bears for example were really good and they didn’t have to be. There were only a few times where I felt like the acting was off, but it was mostly great.
I really liked how it ended. Spoiler Alert: In the end, Puss has to come to terms with the fact that he won’t live forever, and that he must learn to love others like he loves himself. Very good, top notch, loved that.
Overall, I am going to give “Puss in Boots: The Last Wish” an 8.5 out of 10.