Review of Puss in Boots: The Last Wish (2022) by Ltts_Kyle — 20 Jul 2023

Puss in Boots: The Last Wish is a perfect example of what happens when you let creative people be creative. It's funny, heartwarming, beautiful, and even a little risky - something other big animation studios forget to be. Full review:

If you had told me that a sequel to a spin-off of the Shrek movies was going to be a contender for my favorite film of 2022, I would've said "there's no way that'll be even close to Everything Everywhere All at Once." And yet here I am, having watched Puss in Boots: The Last Wish upwards of 20 times, thinking to myself "ok, this is close to Everything Everywhere All at Once.".

The Last Wish is so much greater than it should've been. Considering the first Puss in Boots film sort of flew under the radar, the fact that a studio greenlit a direct sequel a decade later when the original franchise hasn't had a main entry in YEARS is mind-blowing to me. And yet, here we are. I almost begrudgingly saw this in theaters because I had a pass, and as a big fan of the first two Shrek movies, I told myself there was no way this would hold a candle to some of Dreamworks' masterpieces, but The Last Wish wasn't just surprisingly good, it was one of the best films of 2022 and one of the best animated films I had ever seen.

The premise is simple: Puss is on his last life out of nine and fearing permanent death, tries to track down the wishing star to wish for his lives back. Only problem for him is that there are a multitude of baddies also out to get the wishing star. About 20 mins into the movie, we have an ensemble cast of characters with individual motivations all equally striving to find the wishing star, and this elevates the otherwise simple story to something more fun and interesting. Balancing multiple characters can be tricky, but The Last Wish's writing is so adept at holding focus where it matters while adding bits of comedy and emotion from the other stories that it all feels very cohesive. You don't even know who you're rooting for about halfway in, and despite being a "kids' movie," the themes of purpose and death ring empathetic regardless of age or experience. The animation alone is truly groundbreaking. Using similar style to Spider-Man: Into the Spiderverse, The Last Wish switches frame rates across a watercolor aesthetic to give it a richly unique visual flair that's impossible to ignore. The opening scene alone sets the tone, both thematically and visually, perfectly. The various action scenes are insanely visceral, and a certain big confrontation that's teased throughout the story feels earned and cathartic by the end. Puss in Boots: The Last Wish is just about as perfect an animated film as could be. It's smart, empathetic to all audiences, a visual treat, well acted, hilarious, and a great addition to the Shrek universe in general. Regardless of your investment in Shrek, though, it's a standalone story that is enhanced by its references to predecessors rather than being reliant on them. Trust me - The Last Wish will be a better film than you'd ever expect.