Puss in the Boots – Movie Review

Puss in the Boots – Movie Review

A dashing hat with a debonair feather, footwear with boots and an alluring Spanish accent – Yes folks the cat is back!

The spirited feline Puss in Boots is finally back with a film of his own, and those who have cried out for animated justice will be saying "It’s about time."

A treat to experience visually (especially in lively 3-D) and verbally, ‘Puss in the boots’ is a family film where the adventure and invention never flag and the light-hearted humour doesn’t linger far behind.

Antonio Banderas returns as the cat and is joined by an expert, idiosyncratic voice cast that includes Salma Hayek, Zach Galifianakis, Billy Bob Thornton and Amy Sedaris. The story is written by Tom Wheeler (shares the story credit
with Brian Lynch and Will Davies) and directed by Chris Miller, "Puss," as is often the case with contemporary superhero movies, presents something of an origins tale, setting out to explain how the cat who walks like a man but still laps up milk with his
tongue became the most feared of creatures.

"Puss" opens with a nod to the romantic exploits of James Bond and frequently channels the westerns of Sergio Leone, but it is most pervasive influence is film noir.

This film recasts "Puss’" protagonists as if they were genre luminaries having a hard-boiled adventure. Think of this Puss as being sired by Raymond Chandler with Mother Goose and you’ll begin to get the idea.

The movie initiates with Puss on the run from the law, searching for a way to simultaneously clear his name and repay an old debt. Humans may chuckle when the cat casts a long shadow as he walks into a bar, but that laughter dies in their throats. As Puss himself
puts it, "You do not want to make the cat angry."

It’s in a bar that Puss hears about the exploits of the murderous outlaws Jack and Jill, enthusiastically voiced by Thornton and Sedaris. When they check into a hotel, ask about the continental breakfast and snarl, "Don’t even think of skimping on the baby
muffins," you’d best pay attention.

These two reprobates have gotten their hands on some genuine magic beans and clearly intend to use them to grow a beanstalk that will take them to the goose that lays the legendary golden eggs – unless Puss gets his paws on them first.

Later Puss finds he has a rival for the beans in the attractive form of the gifted Kitty Softpaws (Hayek), a slick-fingered seductress with the best criminal hands in Spain.

In the best noir tradition, Kitty happens to be the cat’s paw, so to speak, of the great criminal mind of the age, Humpty Alexander Dumpty. Yes, it’s an egg, but as splendidly voiced by Galifianakis, an egg that is as glib and manipulative as "Chinatown’s"
Noah Cross.

The egg, as it turns out, is also an old childhood friend of Puss, and what happened to them growing up in an orphanage in the sleepy village of San Ricardo is the key to what happens today. Is it true, as Puss grimly insists, that "the scars run too deep"
for reconciliation, or does Humpty deserve a second chance to prove he is a good egg and not a rotten one?

Working this relationship out involves enough plots for a three-picture deal, and the film’s chases and adventures unwind almost nonstop with great visual style and flair.

Some of the most entertaining moments are, of all things, sizzling dance duets between Puss and Kitty which give "Dancing With the Stars" a whole new meaning.

Perhaps the most engaging thing about "Puss in Boots" is that he never takes himself too seriously. Even the DreamWorks animation logo gets into the act, as the fishing line of the boy in the moon morphs into a crackling bull-whip. 

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Posted by Momina Khan on Oct 28 2011. Filed under Entertainment. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0. You can leave a response or trackback to this entry