Puss in Boots: The Last Wish (2022)

Nathan February 1, 2023

★ 9/10

Puss in Boots: The Last Wish had a lot to live up to as most of my critic and casual friends have been praising the film, and for the most part the film delivers. From the opening frames, the unique art style fills the screen and is incredibly captivating. There is some excellent combination of 3D animation with 2D styles that I have not seen before. The combat frame rate shift was also a nice touch that worked better than I was expecting. Action was top notch with some incredible set pieces and superb choreography. The Last Wish deals with some pretty heavy themes for an animated children's movie. Death is something that all humans will have to face which was handled in such a nuanced and mature way here. From panic attacks to haunting imagery, death looms large throughout the entire film and serves as a menacing villain. The journey our heroes take to confront this fear is very h…

ravundwa February 5, 2023

★ 10/10

I did not expect the sequel to a decent spin-off Dreamworks film from over a decade ago to be one of the most poignant, introspective, genuinely hilarious, and heartwarming films of the year. But here we are. After an overly cheesy, somewhat clunky opening sequence, The Last Wish very quickly begins developing its zany assortment of characters into distinct quirky personalities with sympathetic desires and clear goals. The film juggles several character arcs and it's almost miraculous how it successfully handled all of them with proper set up and satisfying, emotionally weighty payoffs. The screenplay is wacky, witty, and also bursting with heart as it deals with weighty themes of trusting others and finding purpose in any circumstances. And it tackles these themes in ways that are always understandable to all ages but never insultingly oversimplified. What I also didn't expect …

CinemaSerf February 9, 2023

★ 7/10

I can't think for a minute that this would have worked at all, had it not for been for the entertainingly over-the-top voice talents of Antonio Banderas in the title roll. His cat is a sort of combination of Cyrano de Bergerac and Casanova - full of flair, dashing and adept with his flourishing blade. Until, that is, he has a run-in with a church bell that brings him face to face with his mortality. He has only one of his nine lives left, and death is poised to come claim him! Shattered, he seeks refuge in a home for cats where he encounters "Perrito" - a small, naive and lost little dog who is determined to befriend him. Meantime, the not so little "Jack Horner" and "Goldilocks" and her three bears are looking for a map that will guide them to a wishing star that, well, it does what it says on the tin. The bears decide to track down our eponymous hero to help them procure it, but he and…

GenerationofSwine March 11, 2023

★ 10/10

This one sort of slipped through the cracks didn't it? I mean, it has a very good, very heartwarming story that helps define a character's growth over the length of the plot. It has a story about hope and sacrifice and struggle. It is a good movie. How does a movie this good get made today? Isn't this sort of the opposite of everything that current Hollywood stands for? Where is the strong female lead replacing Puss in Boots as the hero? Where are the identity politics? Where is the nonstop shaming of Straight White Men? Where is the depiction of half the country as absolute evil? How can they make a western movie that doesn't shame the west at every possible turn? I have absolutely no idea how this could have been made, but what I can say is that it is fantastic, it is moving, it is fun for the whole family and it has a decent nonpolitical message. The main chara…

Andre Gonzales August 3, 2023

★ 8/10

Really good movie better then the first. I loved the beard it was pretty funny looking. The storyline was way better then part one.

r96sk September 18, 2024

★ 9/10

A sequel miles better than the (good) original - that's a rarity! Those behind 'Puss in Boots: The Last Wish' absolutely smashed it out the park with this one. I had heard murmurs of hype about it so was expecting it to be very good, yet it still managed to surpass my expectations. It features a great story with well utilised characters, of which there are quite a few. Soon after hitting play I wasn't actually sure about the animation, for one Puss himself looked different to how I remember him from 'Shrek'. However, those thoughts quickly disappeared because the style is, in fact, gorgeous. You can tell the people making this had heart in it, rather than just milking the IP for another installment. Antonio Banderas remains a joy as Puss in Boots, a character that wouldn't be as memorable without him. Harvey Guillén comes in with a standout showing, I do think Perrito is the le…

Dr Nostromo October 17, 2025

★ 8/10

76/100 With Death in pursuit, Puss in Boots discovers he's down to his last life and searches for the fabled wish star to get a new set of 9 lives. This was a delightful and very funny fairy tale that included a multitude of characters and references to the fairy tales of old. The portrayals were spot on and Puss' new 'friend', Perrito the dog, portrayed by Harvey Guillen, was an absolute treasure. The animation and imagination that went into this were fantastic making it the best film in the franchise that I've seen since "Shrek 2". Most definitely fun for the whole family. -- DrNostromo.com

RealZero January 3, 2026

★ 10/10

I loved Shrek 1 and especially Shrek 2. From there the franchise, well, it wasn't bad, but it didn't stay as great. Then came the first Puss in Boots movie, and, and I mean that in no way negative, I couldn't remember ANYTHING of it. Like, until I looked it up again, I couldn't remember who the antagonists were, but that might just be my silly mind. That said, I'm sure I'd like it if I rewatched it now! And then...came this one. A "Shrek spin-off" arriving years after the last great Shrek movie being one of the most impressive animated movies was certainly not something I expected. And most importantly: I will not forget about the antagonists of this one anytime soon! All of them are awesome! But, let's start with the basics: The visuals are, as expected for the studio and year, very nice and impressive. And THEN you have the action scenes. A, at first, strange low-framerate…