The obvious first standout offcourse is the gorgeous art design and direction taking the footsteps of the likes of Spiderverse and Arcane, accompanied with jaw dropping scenery, vibrant colours and hand drawn aesthetics that embrace the wacky and over exaggerated nature of the fairy-tale world perfectly presenting it like we've never seen it before, and I love how both the plot and action take advantage of them remarkably to create both some truly haunting and beautiful imagery, especially THE ACTION which as soon as you see frames dropping, you know some serious stuff is about to come down, as they completely soar with outstanding direction, unbelievable angle positions, phenomenal choreography, snapy and fluid shots, impeccable pacing and a ton of up lifting energy that whether it is a giant Shadow of the Colossus looking set piece or a simple confrontation between two characters, there was never a moment where something new wasn't being brought up to the table in terms of visuals, humour and details, bringing even some of the best action films to shame with its amount of creativity, charm and substance. Not to mention a well written script that understands perfectly what made the first two films so special, full of quotable lines, layered and surprising jokes that rarely miss and satisfying payoffs for almost every single character, plot line or event it introduces, that greatly balances the mockumentary aspects with more emotional and dramatic beats never feeling like one overestimating the welcome of the other, and both of these haven't been this greatly utilised since Shrek 2, from antagonising good characters to providing a genuine look at how a panic attack plays out and how to deal with it correctly (which brought me to such tears, like damn what a scene ). It is also wonderful to see the film continue the franchise tradition and deliver with banger musical numbers like Fearless Hero and Por qe te vas (which quickly became one of my go to songs to cry to) accompanied by a great western like score helping separate it from the rest of the franchise.
Although, the most surprising aspect for me personally is definitely how great the story and narrative turned out to be executed, as well as how they weren't afraid to go harder and deeper into both their themes and characters that completely left me speechless. I never would have thought Puss in Boots out of all of Shrek's characters was going to have the most unique and complex character development cycle, as his self centered and arrogant behaviour has left him with only one life left, throughout the ups and downs of the wonders of the Black Forest, he will come with terms how fragile his former lives really were and how to make the most of the life he has left, as well as overcome his fear of mortality and accept the inevitability of death, caused by a special someone I'll talk about later, bringing such a unique contrast to it's previous appearances, as well as a new emotional layer to his character making him even more likeable and relatable than before, which is also elevated by Antonio Banderas's best vocal work to date as he brings even more charm, quip and nuance to the role better than he ever did before. Kitty Softpaws and Perrito also took my by suprise with their development and arcs as well, with Kitty actually having a proper strong personality and arc of learning how to open up to people and earn their trust, compared to her quite one noted appearance in the first film, as well as Salma Hayek doing a much better voice job matching Antonio's energy phenomenally, and Perrito who managed to avoid the annoying comedy relief sidekick treatment by having a very distinct and loving personality who's curious and wonderful attitude and outlook on the world around him have such a wholesome impact both on the narrative moving forward and helping Puss, Kitty and even Goldilocks soften up to other people in their lives.
It is also incredibly impressive to see the films story juggle between three different antagonists simultaneously without feeling overstuffed and unfocused, with each of them having proper characterization and impeccable on screen presence each in their own right. I love how Goldilocks and the three bears are represented both as an obstacle for our main trio yet are still given proper emotional story beats about acceptance and family inclusion implying that they are not really evil, but the desire for the wish let them come out as such, and it definitely helps that their chemistry and banter with one another is very charming and entertaining to watch throughout, that is even further improved by Florence Pugh, Olivia Colman and Ray Winston giving out great and sweet performances enhancing the family dynamic. And on the complete opposite side of the spectrum, I really enjoyed Jack Horner being presented as an irredeemable bastard with zero qualities and how self aware of that fact he is, who's main purpose to further embrace the mockumentary aspect brought up some genuinely funny dialogue every time he appeared, especially his conversations with Jiminy Cricket, and was by far the most hilarious part of the film.
But truly the absolute standout and one of the main reasons why this film was as good as it was is the character of Wolf, also referred to as Death, and I don't mean it metaphorically or rhetorically or poetically or theoretically or any other fancy way. He is Death straight up!, and OH MY I am so much in awe with how outstanding of an antagonist he is! From the phenomenal design, incredible flighting style, the menacing dialogue that makes even comedic lines scary, the bone chilling Twisted Nerve like whistle every time he appears, to his unsettling yet charming voice fantastically done by Pablo Escobar himself Wagner Moura, every single aspect about him added up to such a mesmerising and intimidating stage presence that completely tonal shifted the film in the best way possible with his every appearance, bringing up Heath Ledger's Joker levels of terror, insanity and composure I haven't felt from an animated villain other than Coraline's Other Mother. And just like with Goldi, I also adore the fact that Death is treated more like an antagonist rather than a full blown villian, as he's pretty much just doing his job, and due to Puss's irrational behaviour that disrespects the meaning of life as well as the fact that he is annoyed by the idea of nine lives as a way of escaping him, it would make perfect sense why he went to hunt and take his last life seeing him as unworthy and selfish, only to realise he had played with his food long enough for Puss to grow and take in the fact that he isn't truly untouchable, leading to a PHENOMENAL CLIMAX that is up there with Nope when it comes to best final acts of the year with how satisfying, moving and creatively it concluded. Easily one of my favourite antagonists not just in animation, but film in general!
I feel like I can be here for days spitting everything I loved about The Last Wish, from significant character moments, to choreography details or talking about Death for another four paragraphs, but I don't think any kind of writing can translate how much pure joy this film provided me with, as well as not wanting to spoil the film as I encourage everyone to give it the love and support it rightfully deserves. 10/10.
Although, the most surprising aspect for me personally is definitely how great the story and narrative turned out to be executed, as well as how they weren't afraid to go harder and deeper into both their themes and characters that completely left me speechless. I never would have thought Puss in Boots out of all of Shrek's characters was going to have the most unique and complex character development cycle, as his self centered and arrogant behaviour has left him with only one life left, throughout the ups and downs of the wonders of the Black Forest, he will come with terms how fragile his former lives really were and how to make the most of the life he has left, as well as overcome his fear of mortality and accept the inevitability of death, caused by a special someone I'll talk about later, bringing such a unique contrast to it's previous appearances, as well as a new emotional layer to his character making him even more likeable and relatable than before, which is also elevated by Antonio Banderas's best vocal work to date as he brings even more charm, quip and nuance to the role better than he ever did before. Kitty Softpaws and Perrito also took my by suprise with their development and arcs as well, with Kitty actually having a proper strong personality and arc of learning how to open up to people and earn their trust, compared to her quite one noted appearance in the first film, as well as Salma Hayek doing a much better voice job matching Antonio's energy phenomenally, and Perrito who managed to avoid the annoying comedy relief sidekick treatment by having a very distinct and loving personality who's curious and wonderful attitude and outlook on the world around him have such a wholesome impact both on the narrative moving forward and helping Puss, Kitty and even Goldilocks soften up to other people in their lives.
It is also incredibly impressive to see the films story juggle between three different antagonists simultaneously without feeling overstuffed and unfocused, with each of them having proper characterization and impeccable on screen presence each in their own right. I love how Goldilocks and the three bears are represented both as an obstacle for our main trio yet are still given proper emotional story beats about acceptance and family inclusion implying that they are not really evil, but the desire for the wish let them come out as such, and it definitely helps that their chemistry and banter with one another is very charming and entertaining to watch throughout, that is even further improved by Florence Pugh, Olivia Colman and Ray Winston giving out great and sweet performances enhancing the family dynamic. And on the complete opposite side of the spectrum, I really enjoyed Jack Horner being presented as an irredeemable bastard with zero qualities and how self aware of that fact he is, who's main purpose to further embrace the mockumentary aspect brought up some genuinely funny dialogue every time he appeared, especially his conversations with Jiminy Cricket, and was by far the most hilarious part of the film.
But truly the absolute standout and one of the main reasons why this film was as good as it was is the character of Wolf, also referred to as Death, and I don't mean it metaphorically or rhetorically or poetically or theoretically or any other fancy way. He is Death straight up!, and OH MY I am so much in awe with how outstanding of an antagonist he is! From the phenomenal design, incredible flighting style, the menacing dialogue that makes even comedic lines scary, the bone chilling Twisted Nerve like whistle every time he appears, to his unsettling yet charming voice fantastically done by Pablo Escobar himself Wagner Moura, every single aspect about him added up to such a mesmerising and intimidating stage presence that completely tonal shifted the film in the best way possible with his every appearance, bringing up Heath Ledger's Joker levels of terror, insanity and composure I haven't felt from an animated villain other than Coraline's Other Mother. And just like with Goldi, I also adore the fact that Death is treated more like an antagonist rather than a full blown villian, as he's pretty much just doing his job, and due to Puss's irrational behaviour that disrespects the meaning of life as well as the fact that he is annoyed by the idea of nine lives as a way of escaping him, it would make perfect sense why he went to hunt and take his last life seeing him as unworthy and selfish, only to realise he had played with his food long enough for Puss to grow and take in the fact that he isn't truly untouchable, leading to a PHENOMENAL CLIMAX that is up there with Nope when it comes to best final acts of the year with how satisfying, moving and creatively it concluded. Easily one of my favourite antagonists not just in animation, but film in general!
I feel like I can be here for days spitting everything I loved about The Last Wish, from significant character moments, to choreography details or talking about Death for another four paragraphs, but I don't think any kind of writing can translate how much pure joy this film provided me with, as well as not wanting to spoil the film as I encourage everyone to give it the love and support it rightfully deserves. 10/10.
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