We won’t be taking any questions, thank you.
The Big Picture
-
Puss in Boots: The Last Wish
is an unexpectedly excellent sequel, surpassing
Shrek 2
as one of the best films Dreamworks has ever made. - The film breathes new life into the Shrek franchise and makes the prospect of
Shrek 5
far more exciting. - The movie features fresh animation, a mature story, great villains, and lovable characters, setting a new standard for Dreamworks.
When it comes to stellar sequels, DreamWorks Animation has a solid track record in that regard, particularly with the Shrek franchise. The original Shrek is a great, groundbreaking film, but Shrek 2 though. Shrek 2 expands on every element that made the original classic work while introducing all-new concepts that make for one of the best animated movie sequels ever made. It’s not just Shrek 2 that’s a remarkable follow-up from Dreamworks either, as other continuations like Kung Fu Panda 2, Madagascar: Escape 2 Africa, and How to Train Your Dragon 2 are examples of sequels that live-up to and even surpass the legacy of the original.
However, the same cannot be said for the numerous Shrek films that followed up Shrek 2. The creativity and “magic” that made the first two so special just didn’t seem present. Even a lukewarm spin-off film failed to reignite interest in the Shrek franchise. However, the unexpected sequel to that film would ultimately release over a decade afterward, and is unquestionably the best installment in the entire Shrek saga after a long-string of misses.
Puss in Boots: The Last Wish
In Puss in Boots: The Last Wish, Puss learns he has reached the end of his nine lives. To restore his lives and continue his journeys, he will set forth on a quest to the Black Forest to find a Wishing Star that can bring them all back. To succeed, he enlists help from his former partner/rival, Kitty Softpaws, and a chatty canine friend, Perrito. Unfortunately, they’re in a race against many other fairytale characters and villains, including the bounty hunter looking to collect on Puss, The Big Bad Wolf.
- Release Date
- September 23, 2022
- Director
- Joel Crawford , Januel Mercado
- Cast
- Chris Miller , Antonio Banderas
- Runtime
- 102
- Writers
- Christopher Meledandri , Chris Miller
- Studio
- DreamWorks Animation
The Shrek Franchise Began To Decline in Popularity After ‘Shrek 2’
Both the original Shrek and Shrek 2 helped forge DreamWorks Animation into what it is today, but the films that preceded it unfortunately struggled to capture the same level of success. The clearest example of that is Shrek the Third, which is widely regarded as the weakest in the entire Shrek saga. The meta commentary on fairy tale storytelling is still present, but the film still struggles to feature the empathetic charm that set the first two apart from other parody-centric films. Instead, the film primarily follows a more unlikable than usual Shrek (Mike Myers) and a new character we’ve never even met before, a young King Arthur (Justin Timberlake).
Shrek Forever After ignores Shrek the Third almost entirely apart from the birth of Shrek and Fiona’s (Cameron Diaz) triplets. The fourth and final (for now) Shrek film wasn’t well-received when it first came out, but has since accrued something of a cult following among Shrek fans. It’s certainly a step-up from Shrek the Third, with the “Shrek meets It’s a Wonderful Life” scenario being a pretty intriguing experiment. Still, since the film’s events are largely within an alternate timeline, there aren’t really too many meaningful stakes or consequences, making it a rather redundant entry.
Finally, the Shrek series ventured into spin-off territory with Puss in Boots, following Antonio Banderas‘ Zorro-inspired feline. 2011’s Puss in Boots film is incredibly, remarkably, astoundingly just okay. It’s a mid-tier spin-off in every sense of the word. With three sub-par feature films in a row, it was starting to look like the Shrek series was officially out of steam.
The Tragic Detail You Missed in ‘Shrek’
How did DreamWorks get away with this?!
What Is ‘Puss in Boots: The Last Wish’ About?
Puss in Boots: The Last Wish is an unexpectedly awesome sequel. In hindsight, the idea that DreamWorks wanted to return to the world of Shrek with a second Puss in Boots movie is a perplexing one. The first Puss in Boots made a good amount of money at the global box office, but didn’t really connect with critics and audiences the same way the other Shrek films did. Making another one appeared to be a bit of a risk, but it’s a risk that paid off.
Set after the events of the first four Shrek films and the first Puss in Boots, the film showcases the existential crisis everyone’s favorite sword-fighting feline is up to. Through his constant bouts of pride and recklessness, Puss has lost eight of his nine lives, and he hopes to use the power of the fabled “Last Wish” to get those lives restored. Thus, Puss embarks on an epic odyssey alongside his former partner Kitty Softpaws (Salma Hayek) and new companion Perrito (Harvey Guillén), and they’ll have to contend with Goldilocks (Florence Pugh) and the Three Bears, Big Jack Horner (John Mulaney), and even Death (Wagner Moura) himself.
What Makes ‘Puss in Boots: The Last Wish’ Such a Great Sequel?
Puss in Boots: The Last Wish really is one of those movies where it’s legitimately hard to find things wrong with it. Just about every element, including the writing, the animation, the voice acting, and more, make this not just one of the best DreamWorks films in years, but one of the best films they’ve ever made. Fresh and vibrant animation, a surprisingly mature story, genuinely hysterical moments, characters that are easy to love, and some of the best villains Dreamworks has ever created give us credence to make this audacious statement: Puss in Boots: The Last Wish is better than Shrek 2. Yeah. We said it.
One of the more unexpected aspects of Puss in Boots: The Last Wish is its stunning level of maturity, delving into some dark thematic elements that are rarely explored in children’s films. At its core, the Puss in Boots sequel is a story all about death, and how one accepts one’s own mortality. Amidst all the jokes and vibrant imagery, Puss is in a constant state of fear throughout the entirety of the film’s runtime. It’s easily the most vulnerable we’ve ever seen the typically confident cat, and his fleeing from Death is often legitimately scary.
Speaking of Death, Wagner Moura’s villain is what really elevates Puss and Boots: The Last Wish into something truly special.Goldilocks and Jack Horner are stellar antagonists in their own right, but Death plays into the film’s wider and engaging themes of death. The main antagonist is made even more interesting in the sense that he technically wins in the end. While the wolf is frustrated he’s not able to punish a newly reformed Puss, he leaves satisfied with the knowledge that Puss won’t try to cheat Death when his time comes. That might sound like a downer of an ending on paper, but in execution, it’s a positive and profound message that appeals to audiences both young and old.
‘Puss in Boots: The Last Wish’ Makes the Prospect of ‘Shrek 5’ Far More Exciting
While it easily stands high on its own merits, Puss in Boots: The Last Wish is more than a perfect sequel to some so-so follow-ups to Shrek 2. It feels like such an evolution of the source material to the point that it instills the idea that maybe this universe still has more stories to tell. Most people were pretty unanimous that we were all done with the Shrek IP, but after Puss in Boots: The Last Wish…we kinda want another Shrek movie.
The ending of Puss in Boots: The Last Wish practically confirms that we’re destined to see Puss reunite with everybody’s favorite ogre, and the development of Shrek 5 has hardly been a tightly held secret. Had Shrek 5 been announced ten years ago, we would have immediately scoffed at the notion. Now, in a post-Puss in Boots: The Last Wish world, it’s abundantly clear that this world and these characters do have room for growth and further potential to explore. That makes it apparent that Puss in Boots: The Last Wish not only serves as a phenomenal sequel — it also serves as the film that breathed new life into a long-dead franchise.
Puss in Boots: The Last Wish is available to rent on Prime Video in the U.S.
Rent on Prime Video
This article was originally published on collider.com