Home Movie Reviews Puss In Boots: The Last Wish Review – Spectacular Animation, Underwhelming Story

The film allows Puss in Boots time to shine. But far too many characters and a lack of heart prevent The Last Wish from reaching its full potential. 

Everyone’s favorite animated cat returns in Puss in Boots: The Last Wish. With a new adventure and an inspiring animation style, the sequel — directed by Joel Crawford and Januel Mercado from a screenplay by Paul Fisher and Tommy Swerdlow — is more superior to, and has more depth than, its predecessor. It allows Puss in Boots, who was first introduced in Shrek 2, time to shine and assess his inner life. But far too many characters and a lack of heart prevent Puss in Boots: The Last Wish from reaching its full potential.

Puss in Boots (Antonio Banderas) is in a bit of a bind. Having been on so many adventures and fought bravely in exciting battles, Puss in Boots is down to the last of his nine lives. He’s also being hunted by the Big Bad Wolf (Wagner Moura) in a twist on the classic tale the character is usually in. Terrified of death, Puss in Boots joins forces with old flame Kitty Softpaws (Salma Hayek) and Perro (Harvey Guillén) to find The Last Wish to reclaim his nine lives. The only issue is that he must beat Goldilocks (Florence Pugh) and the Three Bears — Olivia Colman as Mama Bear, Ray Winston’s as Papa Bear, and Samson Kayo as Baby Bear — and the villainous Jack Horner (John Mulaney) to get to it before they do.

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Puss in Boots: The Last Wish has bouts of humor, and when it happens the film can be deeply funny. The animation style is also spectacular — one of the year’s best. The Last Wish changing its animation style from the first Puss in Boots was a good decision. The sequel’s animation is clearly influenced by Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse and anime to bring its visual palette to life. To that end, the animation style is made more intriguing and unique, bringing together 2D and 3D animation instead of sticking to one style. It adds richness to the animation and the world it creates.

The film’s themes are wonderful, as Puss in Boots grapples with his mortality and what to do with the one life he has left. Though the film retcons certain aspects of his character, it’s to the benefit of the story, with Puss in Boots coming to the realization that he doesn’t have to face everything on his own, nor does he have to be alone when there are those who care about him. Puss can be very selfish here, and he is driven by fear and the need to run away, so it’s a nice lesson that he learns as he lets Kitty Softpaws and Perro in despite his reluctance to do so initially.

Where The Last Wish falters is in its lack of heart. Too focused on the thrill of the adventure, there is little time spent on properly developing the supporting characters, which leaves the film’s final moments rather devoid of the feeling it was likely aiming for. There are also too many characters vying for attention, taking away from the main character and his journey. The animation includes a plethora of fairy tale stories in one, and the result is bloated and messy, with far too many unnecessary subplots — like that of Goldilocks and the Three Bears’ personal journey — that ultimately don’t add much and are underwhelming. What’s more, The Last Wish’s antagonist is frustrating and unneeded in a film where Puss’ mortality and a persistent, terrifying bounty hunter already serve this purpose.

Puss in Boots: The Last Wish will surely entertain younger audiences. The animation is beautiful, the script occasionally funny, and there is plenty of adventure to excite audiences. For the adults, however, The Last Wish leaves a lot to be desired. With underbaked supporting characters and a bloated story that, while sometimes entertaining, isn’t entirely heartwarming or memorable, the animated sequel could have been a lot more than average.

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Puss in Boots: The Last Wish released in theaters December 21. The film is 100 minutes long and rated PG for action/violence, rude humor/language, and some scary moments.