When Puss in Boots first appeared in 2004's Shrek 2, he didn't seem like a character who could sustain his own long-running franchise. The swashbuckling cat voiced by Antonio Banderas was comic relief in a movie already full of comedy, providing a bit of flair when he showed up onscreen. Eighteen years later, Puss is still around, and the new Puss in Boots: The Last Wish proves that he's still entertaining to watch, thanks in large part to Banderas' charismatic vocal performance.
There's no need to be familiar with Puss' previous adventures to enjoy The Last Wish, and the only other returning character is Puss' rival and love interest Kitty Softpaws (Salma Hayek). Longtime series fans hoping to see Shrek, Fiona and Donkey may be disappointed, but the filmmakers offer some new additions to the franchise's twisted fairy-tale world.
Between his 2011 movie and his six-season Netflix series (which starred a different voice actor), Puss has done a lot of living, and as The Last Wish opens, he learns that he is on the last of his nine lives. The bold, daring Puss turns timid, hiding out in the home of a cat hoarder after faking his own final death.
Puss doesn't get to hide out for long before he's tracked by Goldilocks (Florence Pugh) and the three bears, who have been reimagined as something out of a Guy Ritchie movie. They're looking to recruit Puss for a job stealing a magical map from Jack Horner (John Mulaney), the little boy who once put his finger in a pie and has grown up to be a hulking pie mogul obsessed with collecting magical objects. Goldilocks, Jack and Kitty all want the map so it can lead them to the final remaining wishing star and grant them a single wish. Puss, too, decides he needs to find the star, so he can restore his lives and regain his swagger.
The heist sequence inside Jack's pie factory is creative and fun, with the franchise's signature mix of elements from old-fashioned fairy tales and modern movies. From there, Puss and Kitty set out to find the star, deep in an enchanted forest, pursued by Goldilocks and the bears, Jack and his henchmen, and a creepy hooded wolf (Wagner Moura) who's the embodiment of death itself. At the aforementioned cat hoarder's house, Puss picks up a new sidekick, a yappy little dog he calls Perrito (What We Do in the Shadows' Harvey Guillen), who's eager to become best friends with Puss and Kitty.
There's a lot going on in The Last Wish, with three separate adversaries for Puss, and the movie could stand to be a bit more streamlined. It's amusing to see the three bears (voiced by Ray Winstone, Olivia Colman and Samson Kayo) as British-accented criminals, but their arc is underwhelming and largely superfluous. Screenwriters Paul Fisher and Tommy Swerdlow introduce some surprisingly heavy themes about facing mortality, and there are affecting moments amid the chaotic comedy. Banderas and Hayek have appealing chemistry as the feline lovers with a checkered history, and Puss' character growth feels genuine without being overstated.
The Last Wish never gets too serious, though, and the focus is on the silly fairy-tale comedy (including some recycled gags from past movies) and the vibrant animation. The action sequences look fantastic, with stylized visuals that recall everything from anime to classic Westerns, setting them apart from the often homogenized visuals of modern blockbuster computer animation. Puss looks great, too, and the movie's tease of his reunion with Shrek and friends only highlights how strongly he can still stand on his own. ♦
Puss in Boots: The Last Wish
