puss in boots: the last wish
Hey, look at that! Two animated films with the “Spider-Verse” art style in a row!
Full disclosure, one of my presumably unpopular movie opinions is my distaste for the Shrek franchise. I’m more so confused than anything- I can understand why this toilet-humor-filled, one dimensional, barebones quadrilogy with flat-falling and disingenuous commentary would maybe be a cult classic some remember from their childhoods (and then promptly forget about), but I am routinely flabbergasted that this nothing movie franchise is such a massive juggernaut with mouth-frothing fervor from meme-makers and the rest of the internet. People go nuts after this formulaic movie franchise that is the exact same quality level, in my opinion, as the Minions duology.
Thankfully, its latest entry, which is so spectacularly different and unique that it might as well be part of a different franchise, is delightful, and I had a smile on my face the entire way through.
Puss in Boots: The Last Wish was a surprise hit in 2022 that the Internet raved about, and I was told three major things: that the new art style and animation were drop dead gorgeous, that Death was a classic, terrifying, evil-only villain that sent shivers down spines, and that it was a completely standalone story with little connectivity to its mother franchise, so that new watchers (or people who hadn’t partaken in the Shrek series in several years, like myself) could jump in easily. I had high expectations going into this, and to my delight, every single one of these points is precisely correct. Thanks, Internet, for not sucking for once. You told me the truth.
Even with an adopted art style, this film is one of the most gorgeously animated of its era, and is a joy to look at. It reiterates on the comic book aesthetic of Spider-Verse with its speed lines, hybrid nature, ben day dots and oodles of charm. But I think Puss in Boots elevates above Spider-Verse in one aspect: the fluidity of its action sequences. It’s so buttery smooth and characters bounce off of and into their surroundings and each other with such grace and beauty.
The high point of Puss in Boots, other than the animation, is indeed its action. If I had to pick favorite fights, I would say the opening one with the giant tree monster that Puss adorably climbs atop, gives a splinter to, and hits and ties up with a bell (after a delightful and grin-inducing opening in a Spanish bar) and the two fights with Death, which were elevated by Puss’ bone-chilling reactions and Death’s rabid ferocity.
Actually, let’s talk about the panic attack sequences now. I know they’ve garnered a trend as of late with animated movies trying to cash in on “realistic depictions of a panic attack” to try to farm Oscar bait, which is definitely a valid criticism, but to my knowledge they attracted most of their popularity here first, and the panic attacks are definitely done respectfully and with purpose to the story. It instantly humanized and made me fall in love with a character that otherwise was in dangerous territory of being two dimensional. Fear of death, morality and the appreciation of life are obvious and poignant themes in this film, but I enjoyed their inclusion and felt they were done justice.
Speaking of Puss’s character, Banderas absolutely kills it here. It seems like he’s having so much fun. He’s so emotive and passionate. He’s the MVP, but Salma Hayek and John Mulaney definitely turn in great performances as well.
This film is so different from its predecessors, and with such a long gap in between entries (eleven years!) that, as previously stated, almost feels like a relaunch. It’s a great jumping off point to the franchise, and I would know, since I haven’t seen the first film or any Shrek movie in years. But the fact that it took so long to make a scarcely-requested sequel and that it came out this polished is hilarious to me, given that it’s the best entry in the series by far.
Another thing that surprised me was its maturity, especially in relation to its main villain. Rarely do we see in PG movies today villains that are truly, genuinely evil and terrifying, but Death sent shivers down my spine multiple times as he popped up in progressively more unexpected places. The elevator pitch for this movie, that Puss is on his ninth and final life, and how that ties in with the literal personification of Death is such an interesting concept. Man, Death is so cool. As far as DreamWorks villains go, he’s Tai Lung level, but not quite Lord Shen level for me.
The humor was top notch, too, and I caught myself, a 22 year old adult, chuckling multiple times. But my main criticisms with this film come with the attempted Disney movie/fairy tale satire. Shrek’s been doing this since the very beginning, and it quite simply doesn’t feel warranted to poke fun at stuff like Disneyland or reused fairy tale stories like Cinderella, Pinocchio, etc. A perfect example is when recently, the Despicable Me franchise made fun of the Cinematic Universe formula and made a satirical ‘Marvel movie’ slate going out until like 2100 or something. That would be funny coming from a smaller indie movie, or a struggling social media influencer, but coming from a multibillion dollar megacorporation with four mainline movies and two Minion spin offs with a third on the way all in fifteen years, feels super ingenuine and unwarranted. The Shrek franchise does this too, with one dimensional “commentary” on recycled fairy tales as if they don’t do the same thing in their films, or jabs at Disneyland as if they don’t have their own Shrek extravaganza theme parks and rides at Universal. It doesn’t feel genuine; it doesn’t feel in place; it doesn’t feel real.
Also, the “just right” Goldilocks joke was WAY overdone. I smiled the first time, kinda raised my eyebrows like “didn’t they say that already?” the second time, and by time 58 of something being “too soft, too cold, or just right” I was rolling my eyes backward into my skull. I wish the humor throughout this otherwise joyous experience was consistent, at that it was all as high quality and silly and endearing and playful as the rest of it.
Puss in Boots: The Last Wish is a joyful, beautifully animated, well-paced, thoughtful and sometimes tense adventure with lovable characters, fluid action and an upcoming-classic art style to die for. It’s not Into the Spider-Verse or even Pixar, but it is the intentional, high quality family friendly content that the medium of animation exists for.
