I sat on this movie for far too long. I don’t know why. Was it apprehension for not watching the first Puss in Boots movie, which was also in part because I was hesitant to watch a spin off movie? But I heard and saw clips to know this was a good movie. Well with it popping up on Netflix, it was time to check out the film and see what I missed.

The film opens on a party held by, as they put it, our “favourite fearless Hero”. It soon turns into a fight as the real owner of the building arrives, and then a bigger fight as fireworks awaken a giant. Of course our hero is unharmed, until, when called back for an encore results in a bell falling on him. Waking up on the doctor’s table to find he died, Puss’ arrogance of it does not matter since cats have 9 lives is cut short when after counting the doctor points out, he’s on his last life.

And then, in the bar, a whistle changes the tone of the film entirely. The fearless hero is faced with death and mortality, running from a foe that he can’t defeat. He lives but is effectively dead. Moving to a somewhat demeaning life as a house cat in a cat shelter. A chance hunt for him by the crime family of Goldilocks and the Three Bears has him enter a chance for a fallen wishing star, with which he may regain his lost lives and maybe be that fearless hero again.

So we begin a 3 way chance to the wishing star. Goldilocks and the Three Bears, Puss with Kitty Softpaws from the previous movie and their new dog friend who has an incredibly sad backstory yet is the nicest most optimistic friendly dog you can imagine. But following them is the 3rd party that wishes the wishing star, Big Jack Horner, a villain, they don’t usually make anymore. There’s no moral complexity to him, just a hilariously evil self serving asshole with no regard for anyone other than himself, and he is so great to watch.

Yes this film has 3 different villains all of different types and all well written. The bear family you come to understand as they care for one another and want what’s best for their adopted daughter Goldilocks. Jack the villain that’s, just a villain to the point that when the Talking Cricket (yes he’s in this too) asks about his backstory to try and find any detail to explain how he could have gone wrong, just finds he had a perfectly find supportive childhood, he’s just an asshole, but the final villain, and the one that will leave the biggest impact on the viewer, is that Wolf at the start that sowed the fear of death into Puss. A villain you can’t reason with, a force of nature that makes a personal journey for the lead that he must face but can’t truly defeat.

When you see many movies’ lacklustre villains (not Transformers One, they got that right) such as the many failings of modern Disney (I miss good villain songs), seeing this film not only having a good villain, but 3 great ones each very different in tone.

Like the days of the first two Shrek films, this film has great comedy with gags playing off classic fairy tale elements. But also a heartfelt story that is much deeper than you would think for a film starring a sword wielding cat in boots. This is a must watch.

Rating: 🐈‍⬛🐈‍⬛🐈‍⬛🐈‍⬛🐈‍⬛