Puss In Boots: The Last Wish Review - A Visually Stunning Sequel With A Cheerful Life Lesson

Puss In Boots: The Last Wish serves as a sequel to Chris Miller's spin-off Puss In Boots, which was born out of Shrek's Pandora Box. I haven't been a huge fan of the Shrek franchise except for the first film, and moreover, Miller's spin-off didn't suit me either. But now, after watching Joel Crawford's sequel, I might want to join the fan club of Puss In Boots. Sometimes a sequel exceeds expectations and sets a benchmark, and Puss in Boots 2 has done exactly that. Unlike many other animated sequels, Puss in Boots: The Last Wish comes with the promise of cinematic expansion in many aspects, be it characters, storyline, or visuals.Puss in Boots: The Last Wish follows Puss in Boots (Antonio Banderas), who has finally started to fear something, and it's none other than 'death' (a wolf). He starts living a boring and eventless life in a cathouse. As the last hope, he goes on a journey to find the mystical Last Wish for the Wishing Star. Puss teams up with his old friend (girlfriend) Kitty Softpaws (Salma Hayek) and the little dog from the cathouse, Perrito (Harvey Guillén), to restore the eight of his nine lives that he lost while escaping fellow outlaws Goldilocks (Florence Pugh) and Big Jack Horner (John Mulaney), who are also trying to reach the star.Tommy Swerdlow and Tom Wheeler's story has both brains and heart, while Paul Fisher, as a co-screenwriter, puts a soul into it. Practically, a film is supposed to be imaginative, especially if it's an animated feature flick. Isn't Puss in Boots 2 a perfect example of imagination with a perfect blending of life lessons? Yes, it is. You know, some netizens say that DreamWorks is cracking the Pixar formula in their own style. I guess it's true. An adventure drama with emotions and a beautiful message indicates so. I should give credit to the writers and screenwriters for enhancing the viewing experience with their skills. They say half the battle is won on paper; here is the reason why they say it. There is something for everyone of all age groups, which doesn't happen with every animation film you know.The big voice cast of Antonio Banderas, Salma Hayek Pinault, Harvey Guillén, Florence Pugh, Olivia Colman, Ray Winstone, Samson Kayo, John Mulaney, Wagner Moura, Da'Vine Joy Randolph, and Anthony Mendez is sweet with outcomes and different dialects. That's one of the easiest jobs in the world of animation, but it has to be done carefully. Some characters are too sweet here, which is unacceptable, but of course, how can someone hate the positivity? Even if it's too difficult to believe. Nevertheless, there is a message behind it, and it's not that intricate to understand. You are gonna enjoy that process and the results that follow.DreamWorks almost hit a hundred dollar budget for the sequel that was late for its generation of audience, leaving everyone worried about the profits. Well, I must say, they spent where it was due. Puss in Boots: The Last Wish is one of the most stunning visual spectacles ever produced by DreamWorks Animation for under $100 million. The action sequences are breathtaking, and the 3D effects are marvelous. Animation doesn't really require 3D viewing unless you have something special to show. Here, you have that something special coming in the first 10 minutes only. Also, the middle and climax portions of the film are visually gorgeous.I wished for a better use of the background score, which remained average. The editing is misjudged in the first half but pretty smooth in the latter half of the film. Joel Crawford is just 5 years old as a director with 3 films in his kitty, and Puss in Boots 2 suddenly takes him to the next level. This is, by far, his best work till date, and I am excited to see how "far far away" he goes in the future. As a whole, Puss in Boots: The Last Wish is a perfect family film for the holiday period; however, Indians have to see it almost a month later. Does it really matter as long as you are spending the money on something that is worth it?