Puss in Boots: The Last Wish
- -Puss in Boots discovers that his passion for adventure has taken its toll: He has burned through eight of his nine lives, leaving him with only one life left. Puss sets out on an epic journey to find the mythical Last Wish and restore his nine lives.
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Let the cat reign begin if that is how they rule the world!
Puss and Boots: The Last Wish proved to be an incredibly great swag bag.
What’s Good: Puss in Boots is so authentic and unique that every punch feels like magic, every frame seems like it’s competing with itself, and it never feels like it’s competing with anyone.
What’s Bad: Its needless acceleration for a significant portion of the second half.
A legend with a milk addiction By fueling the phenomenon that he is, Puss in Boots has incredibly wasted eight of his nine lives. In order to extend his life, he must now save his ninth life. He searches for a spell to save himself as death knocks on his door.
Plot:
Legendary hero and criminal Puss in Boots defeats a giant while throwing a party in the town of Del Mar, only to be struck by a church bell. The local doctor then tells Puss that he need to retire because he has lost eight of his nine lives[a]. When Puss gets hurt in a duel in the neighborhood pub that evening with a wolf he believes to be a bounty hunter, he eventually concedes to retire, despite his initial resistance. After being traumatized by what happened, Puss buries his garments at Mama Luna’s house, an elderly cat lady, as directed by the doctor. A few months later, Puss encounters Perrito, an upbeat Chihuahua dressed like a cat.
Soon after, Goldilocks and her Three Bears Crime Family show up at Luna’s house with the intention of hiring Puss to assist them in robbing a map that shows where The Wishing Star is located. Still, they depart upon discovering his “grave”. In an attempt to reclaim his lost lives, Puss chooses to locate the Star.
Perrito accompanies Puss to the factory lair of “Big” Jack Horner, a magical relic collector and dishonest pastry salesman, who plans to use the Star to rule all magic worldwide. When Puss gets the map, he runs into Kitty Softpaws, his bitter ex-fiance, who wants to keep the map for herself. When Goldi, the Bears, and Horner show up, Puss and Kitty flee with the map and Perrito, but Puss notices the Wolf in the distance behind them.
Horner, Goldi, and the Bears accompany the group to a pocket dimension called the Dark Forest. When Puss spots the Wolf again during a fight with Horner, his goons, Goldi, and the Bears, she runs away, allowing Goldi to take the map from Kitty. Following his subsequent panic attack, which Perrito stops, Puss admits his worries and regrets leaving Kitty before their wedding. When Kitty overhears him, she assumes Puss loves himself too much to love her, so she tells him that she didn’t go to the wedding either (albeit this is thought to be a lie).
A manifestation of their wooded cottage diverts Goldi and the Bears, while Puss and Kitty go in search of the map. Perrito is abducted by Goldi as payback, but Kitty saves him. When Puss unintentionally finds himself in the crystalline “Cave of Souls,” he encounters mirrors of his haughty former life, who make fun of him for having altered his perspective. When the Wolf shows around, he exposes to be Death. Puss’s lack of regard for life offends Death, who plans to take Puss’s last breath personally. Terrified, Puss flees from the cave and heads toward the Star, leaving Perrito and Kitty behind.
During an argument she has with the Bears, Goldi impulsively reveals that her wish is to have a “proper” (human) family; the Bears tearfully agree to help her. On the Star, Puss begins to make his wish, but Kitty arrives and berates him for his selfishness, and confesses that her wish was to find someone she could trust. Goldi, the Bears, and Horner arrive, and a fight ensues for the map. Goldi briefly obtains the map, but abandons it to save Baby Bear’s life. Kitty traps Horner inside his magical bottomless bag.
When Death gets to the Star, he issues Puss a challenge to a duel. After spending time with his friends, Puss has come to understand the worth of life, thus instead of wishing for additional lives, he accepts, temporarily disarming the Wolf. Puss says he will never give up on his final life even though he knows he will never be able to vanquish Death. Death reluctantly spares Puss, seeing he’s lost his haughtiness, and walks away, though both he and Puss agree they will cross paths again in due time.
Horner consumes a magical snack, grows enormous, and escapes the bag. Perrito diverts his attention for a long enough period of time for Puss, Kitty, and Goldi to destroy the map, which causes the Star to collapse, engulf Horner, and then shoot skyward and explode. After telling the Bears that they are her real family, Goldi departs to take over Horner’s company. Puss and Kitty resume their romantic relationship, and eventually, Perrito, the two felines, and the ship they stole set out to see “some old friends” in the Kingdom of Far Far Away.
Screenplay Analysis:
A case study has always been the Shrek universe that expanded into other media. There have always been equal amounts of admirers and detractors of it. Eleven years ago, Puss embarked on his adventure in the first spin-off, which did not receive the desired level of acclaim. The Last Wish, a movie that is not only good but a winner, is known for its cheeky and bone-biting humor. The sequel to the spin-off is incredibly topical and comes ten years later. Call it a surprise or the perseverance of the filmmakers to develop a movie that is a bulletproof entertainment.
Puss in Boots: The Last Wish, which has a story by Tommy Swerdlow, Tom Wheeler, and Paul Fisher joining on the screenplay, is treated like the first movie in the franchise, which makes all the difference. It also doesn’t rely on the audience having seen the comic book before or assume that they have. With some lovely new members to the OG crew, we get to know each character a little better.
Everything that aspiring writers and filmmakers should know is how beautifully the characters are developed and how committed they are to providing each character a meaningful arc. Not a single figure that appears on film is marginalized or disregarded. Each and every presence should have a backstory that advances the plot without ever coming off as a plot device. The respect is increased by the fact that the playtime is even less than two hours because it follows a proper three-act structure that introduces us, clarifies issues, and lays out the resolution.
Even with all of that, the filmmakers never lose sight of the fact that they are creating a film for a wide range of viewers. For the younger audience, there’s excellent animation and computer-generated imagery filled with vibrant colors and action; for the older audience, there are stories of humanity, emotions, and unwavering optimism. Three stories: a human girl befriending a bear family; a greedy human enslaving a community to satisfy his needs; two cats in the purest form of love; and an orphan dog attempting to just make friends in this vast planet. The fact that despite having all of their wishes granted, they are still trailing a magical one is so expertly interpreted that it all fits together perfectly.
The only things I have to complain about are the second half’s pacing and the manner the Death arc is concluded. Now, if they had faced off separately, that may have been a very tense confrontation; nevertheless, placing it in the third act gives the appearance of a supplemental climax and lessens its power.