By Connor Fleck
“Puss in Boots: The Last Wish” took theaters by storm last month. It has an audience score of 94 percent on Rotten Tomatoes for many reasons, not just its place in a successful series.
Towards the beginning of the film, Puss (Antonio Banderas) was an arrogant cat singing about how he’s everyone’s favorite hero. However, by the middle of the film, once he’s lost his eighth life out of nine, he becomes a coward. The character development in the film comes when he meets two friends who help give him courage and a sense of fulfillment. After 11 years, it is surprising to find such substance in the long-awaited sequel. The film causes audiences to think through what they would use their last wish on in their own lives.
Seeing Puss change into a better person was satisfying, but the supporting cast was filled with amazing characters as well. Perrito (Harvey Guillen) is a dog who eventually becomes one of Puss’ best friends. He adds so many comedic moments that it boosts the mood of the movie, despite his really sad backstory that he doesn’t even understand is sad because of how innocent he is.
Kitty Softpaws (Salma Hayek) makes a return in this movie as well, giving us a timeline of what happened between her and Puss since the previous movie. She gives Puss a chance to exercise his compassion in ways he hadn’t in the previous movie.
The film did let us down with its main antagonist, Jack Horner (John Mulaney), however. He was one of the least complex villains in the franchise, just a rich man who wants more than he has. It feels like he’s just being evil to be evil. His ultimate loss is satisfying though.
While much of the comedy is meant for children, as this movie is a Dreamworks movie, there are some points in the movie that catch adult audiences off guard as well. Perrito in particular, especially with his ironic innocence, can make audiences of all ages laugh out loud.
This movie has found ways to appeal to all age groups through the complexity of its characters, comedy, and storyline.
The Plaid Press 