Puss in Boots: The Last Wish 4K 2022 Ultra HD 2160p

Story Movie

Having wasted eight of his nine lives and scared to death of the bounty hunter wolf coming after him, Puss in Boots heeds the doctor's advice and moves into the home of the local catwoman. There he resigns himself to the established order, grows a beard and loses his craving for adventures and exploits, but only until he discovers a magic map that points the way to a fallen Wishing Star somewhere. The cat in boots is determined to find the Star in order to get his lives back, and in the company of a pretend feline, he sets out to steal the map from Jack Horner, a famous collector of magical objects.

Review 4K Movie

The end of 2022 is the time for the release of the long-running sequels. First, the world box office finally waited for the second part of James Cameron's 'Avatar', and a week later saw the equally long-suffering sequel to the story of the furry Don Juan (the first part was released in already distant 2011). Today I watched 'Cat in Boots 2', which had a digital release on January 6 this year.

To recap the plot: Puss in Boots is a fearless dodger, folk avenger, and unwavering 'deity' in his utopian Spanish-speaking world. After yet another exploit, lying in a hospital bed, Puss discovers that during his carefree existence he has squandered eight of his nine lives and now has only one left. Laden with dreadful thoughts of death, Puss meets it and runs from the inevitable with shame. He forgets his past and resigns his powers as The Puss in Boots, but upon learning of the existence of a magical 'last wish' the hero embarks on an adventurous journey to regain his nine lives.

'Puss in Boots: The Last Wish' is a project that has gone through seven circles of production hell. Development of the film began almost immediately after the premiere of the first part, but since then production has been postponed countless times. Only in 2020, the picture got a director (though even he then had time to change), a full-fledged title and script. The creators worked up a sweat, Antonio Banderas and Salma Hayek returned to voice their characters and eleven years later they gave the long-awaited sequel to the story. However, the long-awaited sequel can only be called a stretch.

You can't say that Puss in Boots is some mega-popular brand, which can be compared to other DreamWorks Animation studio characters by universal love. If the continuation of 'Madagascar', 'Kung Fu Panda' or the same 'Shrek' (which actually came out of our hero today), audiences are ready to wait years, then about the fluffy hearted man people might have forgotten. Nevertheless, we must give credit to the character, because he is almost the most striking and unique example of how a side-hero of the famous franchise is completely separated from his older friend and became an independent hero, not depending on anyone (the creators' merit, of course).

This very independence opens up new horizons for creative ideas. If the first part broached more mundane themes like friendship, betrayal, and responsibility, the sequel raises the bar and explores much more serious (existential) issues. The movie touches on themes: the end of greatness, the value of life, acceptance of death, and trust in one's own kind.

The cartoon's cluttered and disharmonious exposition, which makes you feel like you're watching some kind of short special from the same DreamWorks studio, works as an excursion into the cult created around Cat. Even though it's done in a way that makes you want to turn the movie off by the fifth minute, it's followed by a classic 'superman' (or 'deity') death plot that's really hard to tear yourself away from.

Sitting in a bar, Cat declares that he laughs in death's face and challenges it. Later he realizes that his identity is zero in the face of the inevitable and tries to escape death. I want to draw a parallel with Ingmar Bergman's The Seventh Seal. There the knight after whom death has come also challenges him to a duel (albeit a chess duel) and in the end he is defeated. Both stories confirm the immutable truth that it doesn't matter who you are: an invulnerable cat in boots or a stately knight, for all are equal before death.

This grim tone of narration does not prevent the picture from dipping into sentimental games, after all, this is a cartoon that children will watch. The sequel is imbued with a fascinating spirit of adventure, there is room for sarcastic jokes, lyrics and cute SEALs. With the right understanding of the plot, 'Puss in Boots 2' may become the most inspiring fairytale for children.

If the youngest audiences will enjoy the beautiful animation, the older ones will be overwhelmed by the film's many references to popular culture, most obviously to the classic westerns, Zorro and The Terminator. The soundtrack unobtrusively accompanies the narration and is sure to appeal to people of all ages. It sounds fresh and appropriate to the mood, and it was especially nice to hear the Spanish cover of 'The End' by The Doors.

The most important virtue of the cartoon is its maturity. The sequel not only surpassed the first part, it reimagined it and overshadowed it with its entertaining idea and adult reasoning. The movie teaches us to appreciate our loved ones and to respect life, because only cats have nine of them, while we have only one.