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DVD Puss in Boots
 Run time: 90 min Rating: 6.7 Genres: Animation | Adventure | Comedy Director: Chris Miller Writers: Charles Perrault, Tom Wheeler Stars: Antonio Banderas, Salma Hayek, Zach Galifianakis |
| Storyline Years before meeting Shrek and Donkey, the adorable but tricky Puss in Boots must clear his name from all charges making him a wanted fugitive. While trying to steal magic beans from the infamous criminals Jack and Jill, the hero crosses paths with his female match, Kitty Softpaws, who leads Puss to his old friend, but now enemy, Humpty Dumpty. Memories of friendship and betrayal enlarges Puss’ doubt, but he eventually agrees to help the egg get the magic beans. Together, the three plan to steal the beans, get to the Giant’s castle, nab the golden goose, and clear Puss’ name. Written by Mr. Top Hat |
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| Plot Keywords: magic beans, friend, goose, hero, egg | |
| Details: Country: USA Release Date: 9 December 2011 (UK) |
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| Box Office Budget: $130,000,000 (estimated) Opening Weekend: $34,077,439 (USA) (28 October 2011) Gross: $149,234,747 (USA) (24 February 2012) |
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4 comments
When I first rented Shrek a few years ago, I have to admit that I was a little disappointed, not that it wasn't a good movie, I just didn't think it was as big a deal as people were making it out to be. But I had also rented the second one and I couldn't stop laughing, one of the main reasons was the character Puss in Boots. A popular character in fairy tales, I loved their spin on him and with Antonio Banderas's voice, you just couldn't go wrong. However, Shrek 3 and 4 didn't hold up so well when they continued the stories. Even Puss seemed to be lacking interest. So naturally I was really nervous when I found out they were making a spin off with him as the star, Hollywood needs money and Puss would pull it in for them. Well I saw the movie today and I can honestly say that if Hollywood just wanted my money, I'm glad to hand it over because Puss in Boots is a very cute movie.
Puss learns that two murderous outlaws, Jack and Jill have the magic beans he's been looking for half his life, which lead to a giant's castle holding valuable golden goose eggs. Puss then meets his old childhood friend Humpty Dumpty, who introduces another cat as Kitty Softpaws, one of the best cat thieves in the world. They ask him to join them in finding the beans, planting them, and getting the golden eggs which lie at the top. Puss refuses to work with Humpty due to a past betrayal that left him falsely accused for robbery, alienating him from his hometown and adoptive mother. After Humpty explains to Puss that he wants a second chance, Puss agrees to help him obtain the beans, making it clear that he is doing it for the town and his mother and to win back the respect he once had.
I always loved Puss in Boots, but I didn't know that he could actually carry a movie. I wished he used his "cute look" more often, but I have to admit for the one they use during his jail scene was more than worth the wait and was way too funny. Kitty Softpaws was very nicely voiced by Selma, her character was a lot of fun and for an animated movie had great chemistry with Puss. Humpty Dumpty was the only character that wasn't that interesting to me, though his story was pretty good and I liked the bond that he and Puss shared. The animation was still great as usual, seeing it in 3D added the dimension and looked very nice, though the 3D is really not needed for this one.
The story worked very well and I'm glad that Puss turned into a strong lead character. Even if the story is predictable, I love seeing the hero rise tale, it's always so uplifting. I think it's a great movie for the kids and adults. It doesn't insult the kid's intelligence by making the movie too cute and there are jokes that even the adults could get into like how Puss is more a lover than a fighter. Though I thought it was kind of odd when he winked at a human lady, bestiality? Moving on, I really did enjoy Puss in Boots, I would recommend it and cannot wait to buy it when it comes out. This was exactly what the Shrek series needed to give it some life and I hope there is a sequel. Hollywood may be greedy at times, but at least with this film they got it right in giving us a great story with the most ferocious smooth talking cat on the planet.
7/10
Puss in Boots was what I expected – interesting characters, some great laughs (including the Shrek-like humor for adults only), and an interesting backstory. Unfortunately, no cameos from major Shrek characters (I always get a kick out of Gingy).
Antonio Banderas does a great job voicing the "hero" Puss, and the movie provides Puss' history with some good laughs and great images. The big eyes look of the adult Puss is topped by the young Puss, and we learn how Puss received his name and his boots.
Humpty Dumpty is Puss' long-time friend, who becomes jealous of the young hero Puss and betrays him. But, Humpty Dumpty returns with a plan to achieve their lifelong goal – get the goose that lays the golden eggs. Humpty Dumpty has some funny lines and great visual humor. My favorite was Humpty wearing a golden egg costume.
Joining the adventure and rounding out the trio is Kitty Soft Paws, who transitions from Puss' nemesis to love interest. The pair has some great chemistry for animated characters. Their adventures include run-ins with Jack & Jill (not what anyone will expect), magic beans, the beanstalk, and the goose that lays the golden egg.
Overall, kids and adults will love the movie for its humor, cute characters, and action. Puss in Boots is a worthy spin-off of Shrek. And, the movie has a great message about learning from our mistakes, retribution, and making good choices.
I was able to see the San Francisco premiere for Puss N' Boots last night. I would say the audience was about 50% children and 50% adults. The movie was shown in 3D and I would definitely recommend it.
The star of the movie was definitely Banderas's Puss. If you liked the character from previous movies, you will not be disappointed. Salma Hayak as Kitty Softpaws was decent enough although not very memorable in any way. And finally, Zach Galifianakis's Humpty Dumpty will be a polarizing character in my opinion. If you thought Rumpelstiltskin from Shrek Forever After was a tad on the annoying side, I think you'll feel the same way about Humpty Dumpty.
Anyways, the story is good. The integration of former players in nursery rhymes and fairy tales is seamless. And the comedy is standard Shrek-style delivering lots of laughs for children and the occasional adult-only joke (some very funny).
The visuals are stunning. And the music is fantastic. It almost felt like an action-packed spaghetti western with a Latin flavor. I definitely enjoyed myself. I also talked to quite a few people afterwords and the consensus was that the children all loved it and the adults kept using the word "cute" in so many different ways to describe their feelings about the movie.
Puss in Boots is one of my favorite characters in the Shrek series. Giving him a stand alone film is an interesting idea. It's suppose to be cool and exciting. It get what it wants. The movie is fun and often hilarious. The cat jokes are clever. Bunch of impressive scenes. The 3D is great. The scale is large. But the plot is too small for its large scale. It gets lazy in the second half and a bit predictable in the end. Though the film is pretty enjoyable but it could have been a lot better.
Puss In Boots starts in a solid blockbuster way. And one part of the beginning, the dancing, is very impressive. It's more than funny. That scene excites me which gives me a feeling that this film will be very great. I don't know why but it's just my feeling. The first half is exciting and great to introduce the cat hero. But when it comes to the second half(after the flashback), it's large but the story has a very little plot. It's a big adventure but ends up a little bit unsatisfying.
The story is like what Dreamworks Animated films usually do. Flashbacks of these critters when they were babies. They grew up being themselves. The rest of the story of Puss In Boots is Jack in the Beanstalk with Puss in Boots and Humpty Dumpty. It's not faithful to the original story. It's just another fairytale collaboration but this one has Mexican culture. The problem is the laziness of the storytelling. They mixed all the fairytale stories and threw some heart. These things are collaborated and nothing else. It's close to Direct-to-Video type of storytelling since this film was originally planned to be that.
But the film is never meant to be in the small screen since the scale is large. The movie is in 3D, as usual. The 3D is great. Just like Megamind, the camera is flying again. Swashbuckling cats and a lot giant stuff. The humor is clever. The natural instincts of cats are used as a joke. Like drinking milk, chasing a light, and some meows. It's adorable. The "Ooooh" cat is the "Do the roar" kid of this film. Here's the thing, cats are adorable and their instincts are funny.
In the end, it's just like Monsters Vs. Aliens and Shark Tale. But this has its heart but it's not well executed. It's still enjoyable to watch in the big screen and 3D. The filmmaking is good enough and everything is large. It just needs to make the story better. The film has ambitions for a sequel. Well I got to admit, it really needs a sequel because this adventure is not quite satisfying. More adventures to this kitty cat could be fun. Again, this film is fun but it won't blow your mind or touch your heart too much.