Purrrrrfect!!! - A Puss in Boots Review

Last Updated on Thursday, 24 November 2011 14:21 Thursday, 24 November 2011 14:16

Released on October 28th, Puss in Boots is a spinoff of the Shrek franchise staring the charming Zorro-like feline voice by none other than Antonio Banderas, the man who played Zorro in the 1998 film.

For those of you familiar with the Shrek films, Puss in Boots appears to have a constant bravado about him and yet an aura of mystery which becomes unveiled in this film. The plot delves into his backstory, but rather than being a lousy prequel, the origins are used to explain one more of his adventures that becomes central to the plot of this film. And while Dragon and Fiona may not be present, Salma Hayek voices Kitty Soft paws, the female counterpart to Puss in Boots whose thirst for adventure is more than just on par with his. While the rest of the cast is relatively unknown in comparison, Zach Galifianakis definitely did a fabulous job as Humpty Dumpty and his upcoming performance as Hobo Joe in The Muppets is something to eagerly await.

The animation is nothing less than one would expect from a DreamWorks production, and in this case I would strongly urge cinema-goers to opt for the 3D viewing as the sword fighting is that much more epic when visually enhanced. What bothered me was the character choice. While having Jack and Jill as notorious outlaws up to mayhem with the magical beans from Jack and the Beanstalk, references to two of the same name (Jack) within a fairy tale world might be confusing to viewers. Furthermore, the use of the goose and the golden egg (as previously evident by Rumpelstiltskin, who was featured in Shrek Forever After) without referencing its use in other Shrek productions causes a similar issue. But then again, if anything, the Shrek franchise has always been about fairytales with a twist so the overlapping of many is something that should be expected.

And for those of you really keen on the swashbuckling fun? The previously released Three Musketeers is also well-worth checking out, although I must doubt the wisdom of releasing two movies of so similar a genre within such close time parameters. Perhaps because this one counts as an animated feature? No sé, pero yo quiero leche!!!

Overall Rating: B+ (simply because it's a spinoff of a franchise being milked, albeit the milk is tasty)