“Puss in Boots: The Last Wish” was the second of three movies I saw during the Thanksgiving weekend. The original movie, “Puss in Boots,” came out 11 years ago. If you’re like me, you don’t remember that movie whatsoever. But don’t worry. “The Last Wish” was a PURR-fect movie for the holidays.
A Note on Early Screening
I saw an early screening of “The Last Wish” at AMC Theatres. Unlike the shareholder screenings that I usually attend, this one was open to the general public. The theater had a sold-out crowd that I haven’t seen since the pandemic started three years ago. Except for my friend and I, no one else wore a mask. Be careful at the theaters.
The Last Wish
“The Last Wish” starts off with the villagers celebrating the heroics of Puss in Boots. Until the owner of the castle comes home, shuts down the party, and his soldiers chase after Puss. All that noise wakes up a sleeping giant that wreaks havoc on the village. Puss saves the village but his heroics doesn’t save him from the bell.
The doctor informs Puss that he is down to his last life and recommends a cat lady for his retirement home.
Puss goes to the bar for a glass of milk instead. Death, a.k.a., the Big Bad Wolf, pays him a visit to claim his last life. He loses his sword in the ensuing fight and runs away from Death in fear.
He buries his cape and boots outside the cat lady’s house. She takes him in and renames him “Pickles.” His new best friend turns out to be a therapy dog pretending to be a cat.
Goldilocks and The Three Bears Crime Family shows up looking for Puss in Boots. After trashing the place, they reject Pickles as being the legendary Puss in Boots.
Outside they find his burial site and mentioned the map for the Wishing Star.
Puss seeks out the Wishing Star to wish back his old lives back. He runs into Kitty Softpaws, his former lover, and Goldilocks at “Big” Jack Horner’s place. Escaping with the map, Puss, Kitty and the dog enters the Dark Forest.
The Dark Forest transforms itself to whomever is holding the map. Puss and Kitty have dark and difficult places. The dog has a bright and easy place. The map changes hands several times as Goldilocks and Horner chases after them.
Puss confronts his past eight lives that lived and died as the legend. Being the legend had never made him happy in the end. And then Death shows up. He flees from Death and his friends until he arrives at the Wishing Star.
Puss, Goldilocks, and Horton have an epic three-way battle over the map. Whoever has the map can make a wish.
During a lull in the fighting, Death confronts Puss and returns his sword. Puss discovers that he doesn’t need to be the legend and no longer fears Death.
As for the Wishing Star, no one got their wish in the end.
The PURR-fect Movie
Out of the three movies I saw during Thanksgiving, “The Last Wish” was a PURR-fect movie.
- The storyline was great from beginning to end.
- The animation switches to a fast-paced style for action scenes.
- The ending has Puss, Kitty and the dog sailing off into the sunset.
The next movie, quite possibly, will be set in Far Far Away.
“Puss in Boots: The Last Wish” opens in theaters on Wednesday, December 21, 2022.