Movie Review # 573: Puss In Boots (2011)

Alright, so, first of all, I must confess that I already saw the sequel to this film almost a week, and a half to couple weeks ago. However, because I didn’t rewatch the film until last night, I wanted to wait to review the second Puss In Boots film until I rewatched the first one, which took longer than expected. So yes, you all will soon get a review for the second film fairly soon as well. For now, let’s dive into the origins of the famous Puss In Boots character before he would become friends with Shrek, Fiona, Donkey, and the rest of the Shrek gang.

Plot: The movie tells the origins of Puss In Boots, before became a warrior. In this story, Puss In Boots (Antonio Banderas) becomes friends with Humpty Alexander Dumpty (Zach Galafianakis). After a failed mission destroys Puss, and Humpty’s friendship, and Puss In Boots becomes a fugitive, he ends up running away from his hometown, the fictional San Ricardo. Years later, Puss In Boots reunites with Humpty Dumpty, and becomes friends with a female warrior named Kitty Softpaws (Salma Hayek). When they discover magic beans that could make a beanstalk rise into the clouds, and where there is said to be golden goose eggs that could make them rich. Now the question remains, will Puss In Boots, Kitty Softpaws, and Humpty Dumpty be able to find the magic beans, as well as discover these golden goose eggs in the clouds, or will that end up being a myth even in this big fictional world?

Okay, first of all, one has to admit that the animation in Puss In Boots is spot on. I mean I’m sure we can all agree the animation in many of DreamWorks animated works has been amazing. Puss In Boots is no exception. However, in this case, the animation is really crisp with the background, and characters, really detailed with the fur, shoes, you name it, and things like that. Oh, and the detail of the San Ricardo town, the desert, the clouds, and even the castle structure in the clouds is superb, and amazing. Oh, and some of the humans can look somewhat realistic at times. Sure, some of them may look a little creepy at times, but the style of animation on the humans is very good overall. Same of course goes for the animals, and the egg like character, Humpty Alexander Dumpty. Additionally, the film nails the mannerisms for Puss In Boots perfectly. Now, as I’m sure many of us may know, Puss In Boots has been voiced by Antonio Banderas, who also played Zorro in the live-action Zorro films. That being said, it would seem that since Puss In Boots has obviously been modeled after Zorro. So, it’s safe to say that for doing such a task, they do an astounding job at doing just that. Oh, and the musical score is phenomenal. They do a great job with the score, but the movie even incorporates some hip-hop Latino music, and Latino music overall to help make a good representation of the Mexican-like culture that this film is going for. Granted, I’m not sure having some Mexican rap incorporated in here was the best idea this time around, at least seeing as this film seemed to try to go for a little more of a serious, and dramatic tone than any of the previous Shrek films that Puss In Boots starred in. Other than that, the score was great, and definitely got snubbed for the nomination. Heck, if you liked the score in say the 2000 DreamWorks film, The Road To El Dorado, you’d probably love the score here as well, maybe even more so. Henry Jackman was a genius without a doubt. As for the comedy, though more of a drama than a comedy, when the comedy lands, it lands just right whenever any comedic moments come up in this film. Also, what it lacks in comedy, it makes up for with some really amazing action, a really good, though not perfect, story, and a great amount of heart, and, again, great animation. Honestly, Puss In Boots is definitely one of those DreamWorks films that even adults could enjoy watching, and not feel feel like they’re watching a “kid’s” movie, or something like that. The film also does a fantastic job of having some aspects be left mysterious, and making the viewer be anxious for certain events to occur, certain characters to be shown, you name it. Because of all this being the case, you know for sure that you’re in for a good film, and a good origin story as well.

With all those said, are there any negatives in this film? Well, there are at least a couple. One being that some of the writing near the end felt a little rushed. The other was that the ending, though mostly satisfying, felt a little weird at the same time as well.

And that’s my review for 2011’s Puss In Boots. If you want to see the origins of Puss In Boots, as well as one that’s mostly done right, then definitely see this film. Especially if you like to hear Mexican/Latin American music, then you’ll most likely have an appreciation for this film even more. Definitely see Puss In Boots if you want a possibly more mature film, great animation, and things like that as well. You’ll have a great time with this movie, I’m sure.

Final Grade: A-