After ten years since the last Puss in Boots movie and twelve years since the last Shrek movie, Puss in Boots is finally back in a brand new movie: Puss in Boots: The Last Wish.
The movie opened on December 21, 2022, and reached an impressive box office of over $334 million worldwide. The movie follows Puss in Boots (voiced by Antonio Banderas) dying for the eighth time, meaning he only has one life left (since in this story, cats actually have nine lives).
In his last life, he has to retire so he doesn’t die forever, so he goes to live with dozens of other cats at an old lady’s home. But he then discovers that there is a sacred “Last Wish,” which, once found, can be used to grant any wish. So, he escapes the home with a small dog who he calls Perrito (voiced by Harvey Guillen) and his sidekick from the first movie, Kitty Softpaws (voiced by Salma Hayek).
The three go on a long journey to discover this “Last Wish” while fighting against Goldilocks and the Three Bears and an evil pastry chef named Jack Horner (voiced by John Mulaney), who all want to reach it first to get their wishes granted.
The movie scored a 95% Tomatometer on Rotten Tomatoes based on critics’ reviews. The New York Times said that the movie “contains amusing jokes and has an old-fashioned impulse to tug at heartstrings. This despite the video-game-suggestive plot construction, in which Puss and cohorts, aided by an animated map, race to a dark forest to find a wishing star, with other children’s lore characters in hot, malevolent pursuit.”
Along with critical acclaim, the movie also achieved a 94% audience rating based on thousands of ratings.
I was not particularly interested in seeing this movie when it came out. I saw all of the Shrek movies and loved them, but when I saw the first Puss in Boots movie I thought it was just okay. Even for the first few minutes of this new movie, I wasn’t sure how I felt about it, but it quickly turned around.
I thought the plot was actually very interesting, and there were constant twists and changes in scenery to help keep it intriguing. Sometimes this would become a little overwhelming as there seemed to be constant action with very few breaks, but it overall worked and kept me on the edge of my seat, with new characters and conflict popping in and out constantly.
The entire movie was also quite funny. The characters were all really well-written and were able to fit together well, with their individual personalities and senses of humor complementing each other perfectly.
Puss in Boots’ character is still the same quick-witted and sarcastic cat that he was back in the original Shrek movies, but his more heartfelt side is shown in this movie, especially towards the end.
Russell Yoh ’24
Puss in Boots’ character is still the same quick-witted and sarcastic cat that he was back in the original Shrek movies, but his more heartfelt side is shown in this movie, especially towards the end.
Kitty Softpaws has a similar personality, and she and Puss in Boots are able to grow together into more open characters.
The movie’s new character Perrito is also a great addition, and he is able to make the movie more lighthearted with his wholesome optimism and sense of humor. His connection with the other two characters is also very wholesome and he is able to complete the story really nicely.
Even though it is a kids’ movie, “The Last Wish” never feels too juvenile or immature and remains enjoyable and hilarious for all audiences.