Alex Reviews...

Puss in Boots

Does anyone remember how good Shrek was? Dreamworks have given us some pretty good animated films, but the Shrek series didn't seem to know when to stop. Do you know how many people didn't realise that Shrek Forever After was actually the fourth film? The third film was so 'meh' that most of my friends, some of whom actually saw the film with me, forgot that it even existed. I too cannot remember what happened in that film, all I know is that Justin Timberlake was in it or something...and there was a wizard of some sort. Anyway. The original Shrek was good, Shrek 2 was still pretty strong, and part of the reason it was strong was because of the focus on support-characters and the introduction of some new faces, favourite among them being the charismatic and cuddly Puss in Boots, adequately voiced by the gem of an actor; Antonio Banderas (Desperado, The Mask of Zorro). To be honest, if there was going to be a spin-off film about any character other than Shrek, it would have to be Puss in Boots, and so there has. And it is again, meh.

It isn't a bad film - the story is fantastical, paying homage to children's tales as well as tongue-in-cheek references to some of the themes in Mexican films and Westerns, and the voice talent is pretty good with Salma Hayek and Zach Galifianakis joining Banderas' feline alter-ego, its just not as memorable as the original material. In Shrek, there were memorable lines and dialogue that you could quote to your friends or repeat obnoxiously when watching it on DVD, and in Shrek 2, Puss in Boots was introduced with the chuckle-some 'cute-cat' scene and a few one-liners, but this isn't really carried to what is essentially an origins story of Puss. There aren't any real gut-busting laugh-out-loud moments, but there are a few sequences that induce a snicker, and there are humorous action-sequences that do border on ridiculous, but that is of course the fun of  animated films. It would be unfair to say the storyline was predictable as it sort of gets confusing now and then, but the major twists aren't going to shock you out of your seat. 

Honestly, the film is just another average children's outing, but it's still enjoyable. I would doubt that there will be a Puss in Boots trilogy, and the film doesn't really match the iconic introduction of the ginger cat in Shrek 2, but you'll enjoy it for what it is; a fun, action packed adventure set in what must be the Mexican part of whatever fantasy world Shrek lives in, and a little peek into where our swashbuckling friend comes from before he adds to Shrek's agitation.