Puss in Boots: The Last Wish

A sequel to the 2011 film, itself a spin-off from Shrek. This time Puss in Boots (Antonio Banderas) realises he’s used up eight of his nine lives, so goes on the hunt for a wish that could grant him nine more.

This pretty much follows the exact plot beats and story arc you might expect from a kid’s animation these days. And yet there’s a lot to set it apart from its peers.

I couldn’t help but feel a tinge of nostalgia at the sense of humour which still hits pretty funny even though it traces its roots back to Shrek, which came out 23 years ago. Perhaps it helps that they’ve only made two films in 10 years but it’s as irreverent, slapstick and surprising as ever.

The general style of the film borrows heavily from Spider-Man Into the Spider-Verse, particularly in the action sequences. It’s a bit odd because it’s such a distinctive style but it does give the film an unexpected degree of artfulness. On the face of it it’s a pretty un-inspired choice but in practice it’s deployed creatively and effectively.

One of the themes of the film - the protagonist facing his own mortality in the form of the grim reaper himself - is surprisingly well thought out. The man who gets to live nine times over suddenly has to learn to fear death and accept it.