Well, ladies and gentlemen, as I mentioned in the first Puss In Boots review, I saw this sequel just a couple weeks ago, but wanted to wait until after I saw that film to review this sequel. That is even if I had to wait about a week, or two to do so. Well, now that I finally rewatched, and saw the first film, let’s discuss the sequel that was just released around Christmas time, shall we? Presenting my review of Puss In Boots 2: The Last Wish!
Plot: When it’s discovered that Puss In Boots (Antonio Banderas) has used up eight of his nine lives, he soon about a magical wishing star that can grant anyone any wish that he/she wants. So he, along with ex-flame Kitty Softpaws (Salma Hayek Pinault), and a new kind, and friendly therapy dog friend named Perrito (Harvey Guillen) attempt to travel there. With certain certain villains being on their trail, and wanting the wishing star for themselves, will Puss In Boots, and his friends be able to reach the wishing star first, or will trouble abound, and chaos ensue in the end?
Well, now that we have this unexpected sequel to the 2011 hit, Puss In Boots, was it worth making a sequel, or should the 2011 film been left alone in the end? Well, I’m delighted to let you all know that it was worth making this sequel in the end? First of all, this film fixes some flaws that were found in the first film, most notably with better pacing, better writing, and characters that were more likable, and basically 100% developed this time around. Oh, and it gets better. Puss In Boots: The Last Wish has increased in it’s animation aspect as well. Yes, the world, and characters are 3D looking like in the first film. However, there is a much more noticeable difference this time around. For those of you who saw the trailers for this film, you may already know what that is. Well, for those of you who haven’t surprisingly watched the trailers for the movie, let me tell you what that is. This time around, Puss In Boots: The Last Wish basically has this way of integrating 3D, and 2D animation, just like with DreamWorks previous animated film, The Bad Guys (which, oddly enough, was released eight months prior to this sequel, in April of last year). This especially is obvious when you have characters like Puss In Boots, Kitty Softpaws, or any other characters fighting other characters. Hard to believe!?! Well, see this film, and you’ll know what I mean. Even the designs of the characters, even in the midst of them each being computer-animated, have a touch of 2D animation on each of them, particularly, when it comes to their faces, and facial expressions. And yeah, of course, the backgrounds seem to have a touch of 2D animation as well. In addition to these aspects, Puss In Boots 2 also has excellent character development. Even though there are some that you live to hate, you still seem to sympathize where they’re coming from. What’s even more fascinating is that the movie has personification in terms of Death being personified as a character. I won’t give away how that’s handled. However, the way that aspect is handled is pure perfection. What’s more is that, even though the trailers make it look like certain antagonists are the main villains of the film, let’s just say that you’d be surprised by who ends up being the actual villain in the end. There are also some other rather creatively written characters as well. Next is the score. First of all, the film once again shows respect for the Latin American culture with the way people talk, dance moves, you name sit. Second, it’s also nice that this film had more original music this time around. The movie also deals with really heavy subjects like fear of death, and some other heavy themes. Oh, and something to keep in mind, there are some scenes that could be a little too dark, and scary for younger kids. This Puss In Boots film is probably more for teens, and adults because of that. Finally, this movie has excellent messages like learning to not fear death, standing up to giants in your life, learning to be content with the things that you do have in your life, and things like that.
And that’s my review for Puss In Boots: The Last Wish. Honestly, it was probably for the better that this sequel didn’t get released until over a decade later after the first film’s release. It has some of DreamWorks most memorable characters since those of Shrek, Chicken Run, Madagascar, and How To Train Your Dragon, for instance, a great score, along with more original songs, and some great messages to take away from this film. I would say that if you liked Shrek, and Puss In Boots, then make it a point to see this one, and IN THEATERS, if possible. If you’re worried that this sequel may not be good, then let me tell you to go see it, as you’ll undoubtedly be in for a big surprise. So yeah, go see Puss In Boots when possible, and you’ll be in for a treat, particularly for a more mature story, and the other elements that make this film great.
Final Grade: A+
Matthew’s Animated & Live-Action Movie Reviews 