Puss in Boots: The Last Wish

A sequel to 2011’s Puss in Boots, Puss in Boots: The Last Wish follows Antonio Banderas’ title character as he teams up with Kitty Softpaws (Salma Hayek Pinault) and Perrito (Harvey Guillén) to track down the mystical Last Wish for the Wishing Star. It’s clear, ultimately, that Puss in Boots: The Last Wish is at its best in its lighthearted and frequently funny opening stretch, as filmmaker Joel Crawford, armed with Paul Fisher and Tommy Swerdlow’s screenplay, has suffused the proceedings with a brisk, tongue-in-cheek sensibility that’s heightened by a smattering of agreeable jokes and digressions (eg a montage of exactly how Puss lost eight of his nine lives) – with the watchable vibe heightened by Banderas and his various costars’ amusing voice work. (John Mulaney’s larger-than-life turn as the villainous Jack Horner remains a highlight, to be sure.) There’s little doubt, then, that Puss in Boots: The Last Wish‘s overall impact is hindered by a hit-and-miss midsection that places far too pronounced an emphasis on loud, over-the-top action sequences (ie it’s all just so frenetic), and the movie, which admittedly does conclude on a relatively satisfying note, does feel like it might’ve benefited from both a shorter running time and a more low-key execution – with the final result a decent-enough animated endeavor that could (and should) have been so much better.

**1/2 out of ****