LoginDreamworks has been inconsistent for me. I loved The Prince of Egypt, How to Train Your Dragon, Shrek, Spirit, Kung Fu Panda 2 and Antz, liked Shrek 2, Monsters vs Aliens, Sinbad, Kung Fu Panda and Road to El Dorado and didn't care for Bee Movie and Shark Tale(the 3rd and 4th Shreks are between the slightly liked to didn't care for categories). Puss in Boots is not Dreamworks' best, though I do consider it one of their better ones recently. The animation is stupendous, especially in the rich colours and fluid backgrounds. The humans are not as well-drawn as the animals, then again to a lesser extent I found that with the Shrek movies too(especially with Rumpelstiltskin in Forever After).
The music is rousing and gives a sense of jollity and adventure, and Puss in Boots is a cleverly written film with cat puns, witty dialogue and veers from Daesperado, Zorro to Mother Goose and a touch of Sergio Leone. As for the story, for what there is in predictability is made up for with excitement, helped by the hilarious dance fights and superbly choreographed chases up beanstalks and over bridges. The characters are generally great, though I didn't really care for Humpty Dumpty as a character or a villain.
Zach Galifilianakis deserves a lot of credit for his voice work, but while not as bland as Rumplestiltskin, Humpty Dumpty's motivation could have been better explored and he is never really likable or interesting. Consequently by the end, which compared to the rest of the film was too dark for my tastes, he didn't garner my sympathy, like I did with Rameses and especially Lord Shen. Kitty however is wonderfully slinky, and voiced beautifully by Salma Hayek, but it is the title character(one of the Shrek franchise's best characters) who steals the show.
Marvellously voiced by Antonio Banderas, Puss in Boots is suave and although the cute big eyes gag is used quite a few times, I find it far too endearing for it to be getting old. Overall, a fun film, beautifully animated, generally exciting and clever. 8/10 Bethany Cox
Puss in Boots Reviews
Feline animated fun with Puss in Boots
Posted : 1 year, 3 months ago on 12 January 2023 06:22
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A decent spin-off
Posted : 10 years, 4 months ago on 19 December 2013 09:12
Puss In Boots was a character in the 'Shrek' sequels, voiced by Antonio Banderas, after 'Shrek Forever After' was made, a midquel to 'Shrek' and prequel to 'Shrek 2' was made
'Puss In Boots' is a decent spin-off to the 'Shrek' series; memorable characters, hilarious moments, awesome chases (like the one in 'Rango'), how can you forget it?
'Puss In Boots' is a decent spin-off to the 'Shrek' series; memorable characters, hilarious moments, awesome chases (like the one in 'Rango'), how can you forget it?
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Puss comfortably fits into his boots in this one.
Posted : 12 years, 4 months ago on 13 January 2012 02:20
The Shrek franchise began tremendously with its first two instalments receiving worldwide critical acclaim but then came along the disappointing Shrek The Third and to round it off, the fourth instalment Shrek Forever After fulfilled the warmth and the comedy that provided a very good ending to the series. However, having said that it had concluded, there was something missing as it didn’t seem quite complete just yet. One of the main characters in the series, Puss In Boots, first-appeared mid-way through the Shrek sequel and we needed a glimpse of his past which would name this a spin-off. Films of this particular kind are usually an absolute waste as they go totally out of hand and because this was a prequel as well, expectations were rather mixed. Despite this, Puss In Boots turned out a great surprise that feels like one on its own without almost no connection to the Shrek franchise at all.
From the likes of particularly DreamWorks Animation and Pixar Animation Studios, each of the feature films presented embark us all on different adventures and meeting new characters from different backgrounds that provides the enchanting magic, the hilarious comedy and the binding and close bonds between the characters. Within Puss In Boots, it consists of an adventure into the classic fairy tales that we’d have read in our younger lives, which is what the four Shrek films express. So, it is, in that particular way, still linked to the series but as far as dialogue, comedy and action, Puss In Boots is more a less a particular kind of film alone.
Although its animation and only consists of voice-acting, Spanish actor Antonio Banderas gives a performance that he really was destined to portray the title character. He already was brilliant in the Shrek films but more than ever, Banderas adds a more badass and more heroic cat that we hadn’t really seen previously and we witnessed a rather emotionally attached and thought-provoking Puss that we didn’t see all that much within the Shrek series. Plus, he presents a character a lot like Zorro/Alejandro Murrieta who Banderas is well-known for playing. Mexican Academy Award nominee Salma Hayek, who has collaborated with Banderas on more than one occasion in leading roles (e.g. Desperado, Once Upon A Time In Mexico) provides a solid performance who brings forth an unusually sexy nature towards Kitty Softpaws as she expresses a Catwoman-like personality even though she’s actually a cat. So, due to the voice acting performance and how Hayek made us feel about her, she would have made a strong candidate for the Catwoman character.
The Hangover and Due Date funny man Zach Galifianakis goes somewhere a bit different with this one, not only because it’s animation but because the Humpty Dumpty character is occasionally a rather dark character, so that provides a rather new side of acting to him as well as the vintage laugh-out-loud humour that he brings forth here and has done in the past. Humpty is rather different here to the original tales of the character, but it’s still a very nice treat to see him on the big screen. Even more fairy tale classic characters are added to the list – Jack and Jill, who are portrayed by Billy Bob Thornton and Amy Sedaris. Having said that these two are the biggest villains in the film and their appearances aren’t frequent, they aren’t the innocent ones like in the nursery rhyme and older tales. So, like Humpty Dumpty, it was a delight to add them into the mix. Pan’s Labyrinth and Hellboy director Guillermo Del Toro amazingly came into the blue and appears in a brief role as the Moustache Man.
Chris Miller, the director who gave us the massive let-down that was Shrek The Third, directs Puss In Boots and reluctantly makes up for the previous disappointment he bought forth. These being the only two feature films that he has ever directed and has provided a balanced point of view about him now, whatever he’ll decide to be part of in the future will go either way. The most important feature that was in Puss In Boots that was a vital miss in Shrek The Third was that it provided a lot more warmth and strong bonds between the characters, and quite honestly if any animated film for kids doesn’t have that, it’s not going to work. It took three screenwriters to write this intriguing spin-off prequel and the hats go off to them as two of the three provide solid experience in writing an animated film and the third has illustrated participation within the comedy genre. So, in the writing category of the film, it turned out a successful triumph.
Overall, Puss In Boots is a charming and dazzling adventure that has almost no part of the Shrek series at all. Whether you’re a huge admirer of Shrek and its sequels or not, Puss In Boots is a family film that is filled with exciting and enchanting aspects that mixes the innocence of the story for kids with the childhood memories of the tales featuring the characters that’ll no doubt make this appealing for adults to really enjoy too.
From the likes of particularly DreamWorks Animation and Pixar Animation Studios, each of the feature films presented embark us all on different adventures and meeting new characters from different backgrounds that provides the enchanting magic, the hilarious comedy and the binding and close bonds between the characters. Within Puss In Boots, it consists of an adventure into the classic fairy tales that we’d have read in our younger lives, which is what the four Shrek films express. So, it is, in that particular way, still linked to the series but as far as dialogue, comedy and action, Puss In Boots is more a less a particular kind of film alone.
Although its animation and only consists of voice-acting, Spanish actor Antonio Banderas gives a performance that he really was destined to portray the title character. He already was brilliant in the Shrek films but more than ever, Banderas adds a more badass and more heroic cat that we hadn’t really seen previously and we witnessed a rather emotionally attached and thought-provoking Puss that we didn’t see all that much within the Shrek series. Plus, he presents a character a lot like Zorro/Alejandro Murrieta who Banderas is well-known for playing. Mexican Academy Award nominee Salma Hayek, who has collaborated with Banderas on more than one occasion in leading roles (e.g. Desperado, Once Upon A Time In Mexico) provides a solid performance who brings forth an unusually sexy nature towards Kitty Softpaws as she expresses a Catwoman-like personality even though she’s actually a cat. So, due to the voice acting performance and how Hayek made us feel about her, she would have made a strong candidate for the Catwoman character.
The Hangover and Due Date funny man Zach Galifianakis goes somewhere a bit different with this one, not only because it’s animation but because the Humpty Dumpty character is occasionally a rather dark character, so that provides a rather new side of acting to him as well as the vintage laugh-out-loud humour that he brings forth here and has done in the past. Humpty is rather different here to the original tales of the character, but it’s still a very nice treat to see him on the big screen. Even more fairy tale classic characters are added to the list – Jack and Jill, who are portrayed by Billy Bob Thornton and Amy Sedaris. Having said that these two are the biggest villains in the film and their appearances aren’t frequent, they aren’t the innocent ones like in the nursery rhyme and older tales. So, like Humpty Dumpty, it was a delight to add them into the mix. Pan’s Labyrinth and Hellboy director Guillermo Del Toro amazingly came into the blue and appears in a brief role as the Moustache Man.
Chris Miller, the director who gave us the massive let-down that was Shrek The Third, directs Puss In Boots and reluctantly makes up for the previous disappointment he bought forth. These being the only two feature films that he has ever directed and has provided a balanced point of view about him now, whatever he’ll decide to be part of in the future will go either way. The most important feature that was in Puss In Boots that was a vital miss in Shrek The Third was that it provided a lot more warmth and strong bonds between the characters, and quite honestly if any animated film for kids doesn’t have that, it’s not going to work. It took three screenwriters to write this intriguing spin-off prequel and the hats go off to them as two of the three provide solid experience in writing an animated film and the third has illustrated participation within the comedy genre. So, in the writing category of the film, it turned out a successful triumph.
Overall, Puss In Boots is a charming and dazzling adventure that has almost no part of the Shrek series at all. Whether you’re a huge admirer of Shrek and its sequels or not, Puss In Boots is a family film that is filled with exciting and enchanting aspects that mixes the innocence of the story for kids with the childhood memories of the tales featuring the characters that’ll no doubt make this appealing for adults to really enjoy too.
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A surprising movie
Posted : 12 years, 4 months ago on 28 December 2011 08:17
To be honest, before watching the damned thing, I have to admit that I had some rather had low expectations. In fact, it was quite understandable since 'Shrek the Third' and 'Shrek Forever After' turned out to be both really disappointing. However, against all my expectations, this spin-off turned out be actually quite enjoyable. In my opinion, the masterstroke was that they managed to come up with an entertaining adventure and, instead of copying Shrek's world, they provided a mix of tale with a zorro-like universe. Furthermore, there were some really colorfull characters involved and Puss in Boots was great as lead character. On a side note, I'm glad I was actually able to convince my step-son to watch this flick in English (so far, we used to watch animated features in Dutch which is his mother-tongue). Indeed, Antonio Banderas really rocked the voice-over and the guy was just hilarious. In the second half, the plot did drag on but I was still entertained throughout the whole thing. Of course, as usual, the 3D didn’t bother me but the damned thing was still completely unnecessary. Anyway, to conclude, even though it seemed to be a cash-in (it was still a cash-in though), it was after all a fun animated flick and it is definitely worth a look, especially if you like this genre.
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Delightful first solo adventure for Puss!
Posted : 12 years, 4 months ago on 16 December 2011 03:02
"My name would become legend..."
The character of Puss in Boots has been a show-stealer ever since he was first introduced in Shrek 2 back in 2004, and he became the increasingly lacklustre franchise's sole highlight throughout the misfires of Shrek the Third and Shrek Forever After. Spiritedly voiced by Antonio Banderas, Puss is a stroke of screenwriting genius; a swashbuckling action hero in the Zorro mould distinguished by his typical feline instincts and adorable look. Puss' popularity guaranteed a solo starring vehicle for the adventurous kitty, which has now arrived in the form of 2011's Puss in Boots after years of rumours (it was originally planned as a direct-to-DVD adventure). It's always a risk to promote a supporting character to a protagonist, but this picture proves that Puss is more than capable of carrying his own feature. Although the storytelling is a bit leaden, Puss in Boots is full of hilarious isolated antics, making this easily superior to the latter three films of the Shrek franchise.
The character of Puss in Boots has been a show-stealer ever since he was first introduced in Shrek 2 back in 2004, and he became the increasingly lacklustre franchise's sole highlight throughout the misfires of Shrek the Third and Shrek Forever After. Spiritedly voiced by Antonio Banderas, Puss is a stroke of screenwriting genius; a swashbuckling action hero in the Zorro mould distinguished by his typical feline instincts and adorable look. Puss' popularity guaranteed a solo starring vehicle for the adventurous kitty, which has now arrived in the form of 2011's Puss in Boots after years of rumours (it was originally planned as a direct-to-DVD adventure). It's always a risk to promote a supporting character to a protagonist, but this picture proves that Puss is more than capable of carrying his own feature. Although the storytelling is a bit leaden, Puss in Boots is full of hilarious isolated antics, making this easily superior to the latter three films of the Shrek franchise.
Set many years before he met Shrek and Donkey, Puss in Boots (Banderas) is an outlaw constantly on the move, romancing feminine felines and getting into trouble everywhere he goes. Learning that fugitives Jack (Thornton) and Jill (Sedaris) are in possession of the mythical "magic beans", Puss investigates, only to find that childhood friend Humpty Dumpty (Galifianakis) and infamous cat burglar Kitty Softpaws (Hayek) are after the same prize. With the magic beans holding the key to the golden egg-laying goose, Puss agrees to team up with the shady pair, thus giving Humpty a way for him to atone for his past misdeeds. Hence, the unlikely trio set off across the dusty desert landscape in hot pursuit of Jack and Jill.
While Puss in Boots is technically a prequel to Shrek 2, the picture stands alone from Shrek's world in just about every imaginable way. Shrek the Third director Chris Miller was in the driving seat here, but this flick has a completely different tone and vibe, making it a fresh-feeling spin-off to a stale series. The picture is more stylistically similar to Rango, an earlier 2011 animated movie which called for Spaghetti Western clichés to be played out by desert creatures. Likewise, Puss in Boots is a fairly Zorro-esque action-adventure populated by cartoon fairytale characters. And on top of the swashbuckler/Zorro vibe, the picture contains a hint of Robert Rodriguez's Mariachi movies (an early scene in a bar recalls Banderas' introductions in those films, and Salma Hayek was the love interest). Heck, even a smidge of Sergio Leone influence appears to be present here, with Henry Jackson's Morricone-inspired score and some extreme close-ups. Nevertheless, Puss in Boots has its flaws. The storytelling feels fairly direct-to-DVD, and it should have given Puss a bit more room to cut loose. Not to mention, this is the very definition of shallow entertainment: there's not a lot of heart here.
It has become a cliché to state how visually magnificent big-budget animated movies are, so here's the token appraisal for Puss in Boots: it's a richly-detailed visual delight with a well-judged colour palette. This reviewer didn't view the film in 3-D, but several big action set-pieces would look spectacular with an extra dimension. Speaking of the action, the set-pieces are indeed terrific. Puss in Boots is more of a Saturday afternoon matinee adventure yarn than an outright comedy, so the pace is quick and the action is both satisfying and plentiful. There are a lot of laughs to be had, too. No gags here will make you laugh till you cry, but there are several belly-laughs nevertheless, and the flick never stoops to infantile humour or potty jokes. Heck, the script is even mostly free of stale pop culture jokes (though there's a baffling Fight Club reference). The comedy is mainly derived from observations of cat behaviour. For instance, the flick highlights a cat's ability to lure people into submission by looking adorable and innocent. It's also side-splitting to watch Puss as he goes from sophisticated to primitive when caught off-guard by a beam of light. Indeed, cat people will adore Puss in Boots and all of its inside jokes about their favourite domestic animal.
As he proved in the Shrek movies, Antonio Banderas was born to voice this character. With his Spanish-flavoured accent and charismatic line deliveries, Banderas is perfectly-suited for the cat version of Zorro, and was not shy about parodying his past performances in the Zorro pictures and the Mariachi series. Meanwhile, Salma Hayek effortlessly reignites her chemistry with Banderas from their prior films together, and is a perfect fit for Puss' skilled lady love. In an unusually restrained performance, Zach Galifianakis is also surprisingly good as the hapless Humpty Dumpty. Unfortunately, though, the villainous Jack and Jill are incredibly underused - Billy Bob Thornton and Amy Sedaris barely register in the roles, which is a bit of a shame. Interestingly, executive producer Guillermo del Toro (a.k.a. director of Pan's Labyrinth and other big movies) has a cameo role here, as well.
Puss in Boots has its flaws, but this slice of DreamWorks animation is head-over-heels better than Pixar's 2011 project, Cars 2. Truth is, Cars 2 was drab, heartless and uncreative, while Puss in Boots is fun, funny, entertaining, exciting and visually spectacular. Perhaps the failure of Cars 2 and the triumph of Puss in Boots is a good thing, as it shows that DreamWorks is getting better, and it may motivate Pixar to work harder to retain their place at the top of the animation ladder. Sure, a more carefree approach might have permitted Puss in Boots to become a full-blown laugh riot, but it's hard to walk away unsatisfied with Puss' first solo adventure. A huge improvement over Shrek Forever After, the movie shows just how far DreamWorks has come in terms of raising their own personal bar.
7.2/10
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Puss in Boots review
Posted : 12 years, 6 months ago on 6 November 2011 01:28
Taking classic characters and putting a modern spin on them is always good for a laugh, so we have Puss, Humpty Dumpty, Jack & Jill, Jack of the Beanstalk and the Golden Goose. It's fun to see their new avatars and personalities, but all them also have no common mythology or character trait to tie them together. Completely dissimilar characters can work, but the writers need to be inventive enough to take advantage, but unfortunately for this movie the writers barely have anything cohesive or original to tie together all these elements.
Overall, some really funny moments and some good ideas too, but overall this is a confused mess of a movie and a wasted opportunity. It feels like, and is, a tired summer money-grab summer movie for the pre-teen and early teen audience. The rest of us who were suckered in my the trailer should really just have stayed away.
Overall, some really funny moments and some good ideas too, but overall this is a confused mess of a movie and a wasted opportunity. It feels like, and is, a tired summer money-grab summer movie for the pre-teen and early teen audience. The rest of us who were suckered in my the trailer should really just have stayed away.
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Puss in Boots review
Posted : 12 years, 6 months ago on 2 November 2011 04:02
Much better than I expected, saw it in 3D, and there was some great detail. Very cute movie, yes it's predictable, but great for family viewing. Safe for younger viewers, it doesn't contain a lot of the darkness and overly violent content that some of the other "family" movies have.
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