***spoilers below!***
‘Remember, Puss. Death comes for us all.’
Like most people, I imagined that a Puss in Boots-based movie would be a pleasant bit of fluff designed to keep the kids quiet for a couple of hours. Sometimes, it’s good to be wrong. Because the anarchic, self-aware and surprisingly profound story of Puss in Boots: The Last Wish makes this little gem of a movie a true spiritual successor to The Greatest Sequel in Movie History – Shrek 2.
But, as usual, I’m getting ahead of myself. Our story begins with our favourite whiskered hero throwing himself into yet another death-defying scenario for the benefit of some grateful townsfolk. But despite his victory in a beautifully rendered battle with a wood-giant, poor Puss is unceremoniously crushed to death by a rogue church bell. But fret not. For Puss, like all noble felines, has nine lives to play with. He therefore emerges from his latest death with no more concern than we would give to a medium-sized hangover.
However, once the local doctor/barber/witch-finder has done some quick maths, he points out that Puss has now been killed no less than eight times. And that means his next death will be for keeps. As he starts to realise the seriousness of his situation, Puss makes a decent attempt at peaceful retirement. But when by chance he hears of a fallen star that will give the finder a single wish, our hero brushes off his hat and boots, and embarks upon a quest to get his swamp back. No – sorry! To get his nine lives back. Along the way he finds companions old and new, battles enemies mortal and otherwise, and finally discovers what life is really all about.
I do get a bit nervous when I see an animated movie with a cast list stuffed with famous names. Screen acting and voice acting are really very different skills, and without strong vocal work, an animated story like this can never really take off. Happily, the The Last Wish cast all deliver the goods. First praise has to go to Harvey Guillen, who was wonderful as dear Perrito. It’s always tricky to be the earnest character, especially in a film as self-aware as this one, but his determined optimism – at first played for laughs – emerges as a genuine source of resilience in an unfeeling and perilous world. (Yes, I would like to be his friend.) Antonio Banderas has definitely been working on his growl, and throws himself into his musical number with gusto. Salma Hayek was an excellent foil to Puss, helped by some understated but very effective character design. The movie avoids entirely that awful trend of sticking boobs on a non-human character and deciding that makes them female. Instead, it is gestures, expressions, and movement which convey a sense of the feminine or masculine. That, and the occasional, exceptional beard. While the films visuals generally tend towards the expressive rather than realistic, in this area, a less-is-more approach works wonders.
Of course, there is no such thing as a decent quest without a decent baddie. Shrek had Lord Farquaad, and then the iconic Fairy Godmother, but Jack Horner is honestly one of the most brilliantly, relentlessly unpleasant baddies I’ve ever seen on screen. He is entirely without merit, charm, or redeeming feature. Unendingly, grindingly grasping in his pursuit of any and all magical relics, we might start to wonder if there is some larger aim to all of this? Some reason behind all the de-horned unicorns? All those mangled henchmen? Nope. Jack wants all the magic in the world just so that no one else can have it. It’s so bleak! So pointless! So…depressingly believable. Is this some comment on end-stage Capitalism? Perhaps a more pointed criticism of Hollywood’s increasing obsession with Intellectual Property? Or is Jack just the anti -Puss? What you are left with when a person refuses ever to learn, to change, to care at all?
Because for all the lush, inventive visuals, pacy story-telling, and flashes of Shrek-ish humour, The Last Wish is at heart a rather serious tale. Which involves our Puss becoming a rather serious character. He learns – very slowly – that everyone has to grow up, and everybody dies. And the only thing that makes life worth living is finding people to care about.
That does sound a bit much now I’ve written it out, but this animated cat in a fairytale world honestly shows more character development than you’d see in a dozen real-live leading men. Puss spends a lot of time running from the past, from commitment, even from Death. But he does eventually learn to admit his mistakes. He apologies to the people he has hurt. He looks inward and realises that he needs to make a change. In short, he grows up. That doesn’t mean losing any sense of joy or potential (looking at you, Jack). It means making real connections and fighting to keep them. So finally, in a spaghetti-western inspired showdown, our animated feline friend fights Death itself. Puss doesn’t win of course, but he does choose to keep on fighting. Best result you can hope for, really.
It is a surprisingly down-beat ending, in a way. No wish for anyone, no easy solutions here. Make the most of what you have, because while you can’t choose what happens to you, you can chose how you react to it. Look around you, and within you, and really think about what is worth fighting for. Loss is part of what defines us, but it’s never the whole story. Death is inevitable, but first we can live. It’s heady stuff! But all in all it feels bittersweet, not melancholy, because I think Puss’s best days are still in front of him.
What did you think? Were you caught unawares by the surprisingly intense storyline? How did this film compare to the first Puss in Boots movie? Would you like to have a drink with the surprisingly charming Death? As ever, let me know!