"Puss in Boots"
By Daniel Lin Feb. 15, 2023
“Puss in Boots: The Last Wish” follows everyone’s favorite fearless hero Puss in Boots—voiced by Antonio Banderas—as he discovers that he is on the last of his nine lives and goes on a quest to restore his lives. Along the way, he learns valuable lessons and faces obstacle after obstacle that challenges his entire belief system.
The movie begins with Puss partying, slaying a giant and then dying. This opening scene not only establishes Puss’s character, depicting his heroic yet reckless actions, but also immediately draws attention to the striking and vibrant visuals. Shortly after,Puss’s usual arrogance is crushed after he learns that he is down to his last life and subsequently encounters Death, a massive wolf, by the skin (or fur?) of his teeth.
Unfortunately, this fantastic beginning is followed by a less interesting middle, in which Puss learns of a wishing star that could restore his nine lives and goes on a very basic and ordinary adventure to find it, meeting several other characters also searching for the wishing star on the way. However, the film concludes with a spectacular fight scene between Puss and Death and a feel-good, albeit somewhat cheesy, ending.
Although Banderas’s performance as Puss was outstanding, the true star of the show was Death, voiced by Wagner Moura. Death is menacing, terrifying and positively scene-stealing—easily my favorite character in the entire movie and one of my all-time favorite villains.
Quality-wise, “Puss in Boots: The Last Wish” is top-notch. The animation uses hand-drawn techniques, making it more textured compared to the traditional “Pixar look”—a photorealistic style that most animated films use. This unique art style, in addition to the frame rate drops and striking color contrasts during the action scenes, contributes to the feeling of being dropped into a fairytale. Furthermore, the story is well written and revolves around a surprisingly deep theme for a children’s movie—the importance of valuing life and living to the fullest.
Despite being the sequel to a spinoff of the sequel to “Shrek,” “Puss in Boots: The Last Wish” was a masterpiece of a movie that blew my expectations out of the water, and I highly recommend watching it.
About the Contributors
Daniel Lin
viewpoint page editor
Daniel Lin is a junior at Leland High School and the Viewpoint Page Editor for The Charger Account. During his free time. He enjoys watching television shows, sleeping, and playing tuba.
Comments