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Antonio Banderas. © 2022 Universal Pictures and DreamWorks Animation. Directed by Joel Crawford.
The Fairy Tale Legend Returns
You thought the legend retired? Nah, he came back with more adventures but in Spider-Man form so he can give J. Jonah Jameson some pictures of Spider-Man's crime-fighting. This was an amazing surprise from DreamWorks and they are releasing bangers this year. If Antonio Banderas came back to this role, you know something is about to heat up in this film. It's an animated wild fest of a film and there are a lot of things to appreciate from the animation to the storytelling. The gold core of DreamWorks is shown here and with animation adapting into a new form, this is the stepping stone of the new generation of animation. Even the muffin man will be surprised by this movie. Let's go back to the world of Shrek and join Puss in Boots on his glorious adventure with some leche to go. Story: Set after Shrek Forever After (2010), the film continues Puss in Boots's (Banderas) journey as he sets to find the mystical Last Wish and restore the eight of his nine lives that he lost while escaping new enemies (Pugh, Mulaney, and Moura) who plan to hunt him down, with the help of his friends (Hayek and Guillén). But there's one enemy named the Wolf or Death who is hunting him down to kill him, one last time. Bound to one life, this film brings the adventure into a colorful fest of life, death, and heart. It's a beautifully animated film that packs heart but also brings out the violence to a hardcore mode for a kid's film. The animation is absolutely beautiful and creative. It's a mix of 2D and 3D animation with some hand-drawing animation that makes it stand out. There is a lot of creative animation decision that makes every scene stand out. The opening scene is just outstanding and it shows what Puss in Boots was up to. I was just in awe of the animation during the action and fighting sequences. It's eye-popping and it's everywhere which is great. The cinematography is also great because of many classic callbacks to old western and iconic films. It embraces the fairy tale look and storytelling through visuals. It's so heavily inspired by Spider-Man: Into the Spider-verse but it does it in its own way and respects the animation while creating new grounds with fairy tale storytelling. DreamWorks go full and beyond with its animation and it shows that you don't need a realistic animated film to impress audiences. This film uses animation in a cartoonish way but still keeps it as cinematic as possible and creative. When you watch it in full motion, it's blended so well and it's way better to see it in a movie theater rather than at home. This is what I miss from animated films and DreamWorks is making them more fun and creative while keeping them cinematic and raw. Plus I really loved the direction and making each scene feel purposeful. It's a wonderful film that animation students will love. The storytelling is also very strong in the film. I'm glad that it's taking place after the events of the last Shrek film and exploring how's Puss in Boots is doing. I really loved Antonio Banderas's performance and he makes the character more likable and hilarious. The Spanish jokes are hilarious, and there's a lot of strong language in this film, which is surprising for a kid's film. Good thing it wasn't produced by Disney so DreamWorks can get away with a lot of stuff. The supporting characters were also great as well. What I really love about the plot is that we get to look at the three different groups of characters with their strengths and weakness. Goldilocks and the three bears' story arc is so well developed. We get heartful and menacing moments from this group and get a satisfying conclusion. Same thing with the "main" villain which is Jack Horner. But more on the bear family. The other two main supporting characters, Kitty Softpaws and Perrito are also great. Perrito's arc is pretty good while Kitty's character grows in this sequel. However, there is one character that is legit already one of the best-animated villains of all time. I'm not kidding and it's the big bad Wolf/Death, voiced by Wagner Moura. His performance is so brutal and cold. His opening scene is golden and the final confrontation with Puss in Boots is the best scene in the entire film. The animation of his character is flawless and scary. His character motivations are strong and whenever he pops on screen, it gets serious and it feels like there are stakes whenever he's present. I like how he's just in the shadows waiting for the right moment and his screen time is perfect while not ruining some of the characters' moments and arcs. I want more of this villain in future Shrek films. This film really delivered two of the most important aspects of a movie. Storytelling and cinematography (animation) and the director and the animation team delivered it. But I still have some nitpicks as well. Even though the film had the right runtime for an animated feature film, I feel like I wanted more action in this film. That's my personal opinion. There are your typical kids' jokes that were cringe but not distracting from the mature dark humor during the second half of the film. I wanted a little bit of backstory with Wolf on how he managed to follow Puss in Boots throughout his life. As an animated film, I can't find something to shit on which is surprising. Not gonna lie, Perrito was annoying at first but he kind of grew me later on. But that's all the critiques of this film. This is the best entry in the Shrek franchise since Shrek 2 and it delivers emotional beats by connecting with the protagonist and supporting characters. It's fresh air for animation cinema and I love how creative it is. The villain is cold yet amazing and Puss in Boots is literally my childhood. I grew up with this franchise and I'm happy to say that this film should be watched in theaters. Two DreamWorks bangers in one year and I hope they keep it up next year. I cannot wait for more adventures from Puss in Boots and his friends. Now Playing in Theaters in 2D and RealD 3D. Vizeit Score: "A" (Share this review with your film friends and on social media! Thank you for your continue support.) Copyright © 2022. Vizeit Studios. All Rights Reserved. Review Written By: Everardo Garcia Jr.
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