Puss In Boots: The Last Wish (PG)

Puss In Boots is too busy swashing his buckle to notice that he has used up eight of his nine allocated lives. He joins forces with sexy pickpocket Kitty Softpaws and lovable stray dog Perrito to journey deep into the Dark Forest and locate the fabled Wishing Star, which can restore his spent lives. Unfortunately, the adventurers are chased by a bounty hunting big bad Wolf, Goldilocks and the Three Bears Crime Family.

LondonNet Film Review

Puss In Boots: The Last Wish (PG) Film Review from LondonNet

Curiosity revives the cat in a rumbustious computer-animated sequel, which compels the eponymous feline from the Shrek franchise to temporarily sheath his sword and meditate on his mortality as he expends all but one of his cherished nine lives. Screenwriters Paul Fisher and Tommy Swerdlow tread lightly but purposefully through the title character’s existential crisis, furnishing Antonio Banderas with lines of heartfelt dialogue that question the value of a legacy when you leave no room for anyone to share those precious moments…

Puss In Boots: The Last Wish is surprisingly touching and thoughtful, repeatedly underlining the enduring power of biological and chosen families in between frequent chortles like when Salma Hayek Pinault’s jilted love interest issues a swingeing verdict on Puss’s unkempt facial hair: “It’s like a possum crawled on your face and died”. Director Joel Crawford and co-director Januel Mercado enthusiastically plunder literature and popular culture throughout their gung-ho escapade, striking a pleasing balance between visual spectacle to engage young audiences and wry in-jokery for older children and adults. They orchestrate visually stylish action sequences including a thrilling battle with a rampaging giant that is breathlessly choreographed to the paw-tapping original song Fearless Hero performed by Banderas and composer Heitor Pereira.

When we encounter sword-wielding outlaw Puss In Boots (voiced by Banderas), he is too busy swashing buckles and proudly polishing his reputation as The Stabby Tabby to notice that he has used up eight of his allocated nine lives. “My prescription… you need to retire,” advises a kindly doctor (Anthony Mendez), who directs the crestfallen feline to a crowded cat rescue home run by Mama Luna (Da’Vine Joy Randolph).

Goldilocks (Florence Pugh) and her surrogate clan, the Three Bears Crime Family comprising Mama Bear (Olivia Colman), Papa Bear (Ray Winstone) and Baby Bear (Samson Kayo), invade Mama Luna’s refuge and remind Puss of the legend of a single wish waiting to be granted deep within the Dark Forest. Puss embarks on an epic quest to locate the fabled Wishing Star in the company of alluring pickpocket Kitty Softpaws (Hayek Pinault) and lovable stray dog Perrito (Harvey Guillen). En route, the furry adventurers face a bounty hunting big bad Wolf (Wagner Moura) and tyrannical pastry chef “Big” Jack Horner (John Mulaney), who intends to possess all magic in the world.

Puss In Boots: The Last Wish is a satisfying slink through fairy tale tropes that purrs most sweetly when characters affirm core values of teamwork, self-sacrifice and resilience. Storybook animation in a painterly style harks back to the original Shrek but also sets this feline fantasy apart. Composer Pereira’s energetic score matches the brisk tempo of Crawford and Mercado’s direction, while Guillen’s embodiment of wholesome childlike naivete a la Olaf in Frozen almost upstages Banderas and Hayek Pinault’s romantic double-act.

– Sarah Lee