Review of Puss in Boots: The Last Wish (2022) by Nd-Bringer — 04 May 2023

This some of Dreamworks' most brilliant work yet. An unthinkable recreation of the mean spirited fairy tale world of Shrek, focusing on the reflection arc of the best character from the fan favorite sequel. I didn't think I wanted another Shrek movie. They were fun movies from my childhood, but I eventually grew tired of the gross out humor and the fairy tale parody elements as I went into middle school.

Years later, when I saw the trailer for this film. I was assuming that people would just be getting more of the same from the Shrek universe. Mixed in with a lot of safe pop cultural references like many other kids films these days. And then I heard that people were adoring this film. Multiple videos were popping all over the place, memes were being made, everyone was laughing. I thought it was just another fad about a safe film pretending to be as good as its predecessor. So much like Puss in Boots drawing is sword, I was ready to watch this film and destroy it with my logic, and then Death knocked my pen away. I had later discovered that this was not, just another adventure comedy movie. This movie blew me away. The jokes didn't just hit, they made almost die of laughter. The theming of the journey gave me an adrenaline rush. I haven't felt this way about a family film for a long time. This is not a good movie...it's a great movie.

It's a movie that doesn't stick out like a fad, but rather a beautiful painting that will inspire future generations to come. They took the best parody elements from the Shrek films and evolved them. Not only that, but the message also feels really powerful. It focuses on self reflection but also treasuring what you have at the moment, even if you've only recently encountered it. Living within the moment, but also fighting for a little longer to enjoy what is precious to you. It doesn't feel forced, because of how relatable the situation can feel on a personal level.

This film reminds me of what the ideal family film is. A movie with nice comedy for the kids, but also grand ideals for the adults to analyze. And then those kids years later, analyze those same ideals as adults, while there kids enjoy the jokes. There's multiple different ways to enjoy it. I mean there are three different categories of great villains in this film, none of which are weak twist villains. I definitely recommend this film. It's the jack of all trades right now in Dreamworks' modern movie line up.