Mark Reviews Movies: PUSS IN BOOTS: THE LAST WISH

Puss in Boots: The Last Wish, Universal Pictures

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Review by Mark Dujsik | December 20, 2022

Maybe this series needed a long break, because Puss in Boots: The Last Wish feels like being reacquainted with an old friend. There was a time, more than two decades ago, when Shrek felt almost revolutionary in the way it played with fairy tales and mocked their conventions and practices, as well as digging into those of the biggest animation studio at the time (now a media conglomerate so large that any kind of satirical barb would feel akin throwing a pebble into the ocean, for all the waves it would make).

Among its other inspirations, the sequel introduced us to Puss in Boots, the swashbuckling cat voiced with aplomb by Antonio Banderas. As for the additional sequels and the first attempt to give the sword-wielding feline his own series, they definitely could have been worse, even if they never came close to reaching the heights of the first two films.

Here, though, we're 11 years beyond Puss in Boots and the apparent end of this franchise (There apparently was a television show revolving around the character in between, but who, really, has the time?). It's more than a bit of a surprise to state that this belated and unexpected sequel reminds us of the best narrative and comedic elements of its earliest predecessors. The passage of time is also a great benefit to the filmmakers, who tackle that fact head on in a story that allows a more mature approach to the material and a level of growth for the title character.

We're re-introduced to Puss in the middle of a grand celebration of, well, himself. A big song-and-dance number reminds us of his self-indulgent bombast, and with the return of the owner of the mansion where the party is being held, we're reminded that the cat is also a bit of a con artist at heart. Anyway, all of that leads to a chase and a battle with an awakened giant that had been sleeping outside the village, and after much derring-do, Puss is victorious. Until a giant bell falls on top of him, that is.

None of this would be a problem, because, like all cats, Puss has nine lives. Our hero hasn't been keeping count of his deaths, though, so after going through all of his previous lives (A favorite ending has Puss continuing to eat shrimp because it's so tasty—and despite an allergy to shellfish), Puss is stunned to realize that, including the most recent incident, he has died eight times. This is his last life. What is a reckless adventurer to be and do if he can no longer be reckless with the sole life he has?

That's a pretty substantial question to serve as the foundation for a film such as this, which features plenty of anthropomorphic animals and allusions to classic fairy tales and a generally lighthearted tone. One of the real thrills of Paul Fisher and Tommy Swerdlow's screenplay, though, is that the pair follow through on that notion beyond Puss' existential crisis. The character isn't simply trying to figure out what to do with his life now. He has to determine what to do about the fact that he knows for certain he will die.

Death isn't just a concept here. It's a character in the form of the Big Bad Wolf (voice of Wagner Moura), whom Puss assumes is a bounty hunter when the beast approaches him, seemingly from out of nowhere, at a local tavern. The wolf is one, technically, and with every thought of adventure or risk, Puss finds himself being watched or followed by the wolf. Eventually, the cat decides to bury his hat and cape, opting for a risk-free life at a cat shelter in the middle of nowhere.

The rest of the plot is downright simple, in that it has Puss learning about and seeking out a wishing star in the middle of a forest (hoping to wish for his nine lives again), and fairly complicated, in that it brings a slew of additional characters into the mix and somehow finds a way to gradually transform them into more than jokes. Kitty Softpaws (voice of Salma Hayek Pinault), a master thief and Puss' former romantic interest, returns, also looking for the star and rightfully bitter about the last encounter—well, non-encounter—between Puss and her. A new ally is Perro (voice of Harvey Guillén), an adorably anxious and eager little mutt who's desperate to make friends. He'd be pathetic if the dog weren't so sincere, his back story so depressing, and his inability to realize how bad he has had it so tragic and admirable.

Other characters, like the Big Bad Wolf and its transformation into a specter of death incarnate, are more familiar in the realm of fairy tales and given unique twists here. Puss learns of the star, as well as a map leading to it, from Goldlilocks (voice of Florence Pugh) and her adoptive family of three bears—with Ray Winstone providing the voice of Papa, Olivia Colman voicing Mama, and Samson Kayo serving as the voice of Baby. They're a team of criminals (a "crime family," Mama Bear insists on calling them or at least hopes to be the case), and while the quartet initially comes across as a gag, it becomes quite affecting how this family is a real one, even as Goldilocks yearns for what she believes to be a "real" one.

The villain is Big Jack Horner (voice of John Mulaney), who runs a pie factory and is envious of only being the subject of a nursery rhyme. He's the worst of bad customers , in search of absolute magical power, and an inspired gag has a conscientious cricket adamantly believing there must be something good about this dastardly antagonist. There isn't, by the way, and the dark humor of that is as unanticipated and refreshing as the film's deeper themes.

Under the guidance of director Joel Crawford, the film looks great, using a kind of storybook style for the action sequences (motions lines and a sense of the characters moving in a slightly jittery way, as if by the turning of pages). Beyond that, Puss in the Boots: The Last Wish gives us rich characters and a smart narrative, featuring some considered ideas about mortality and living.

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