After four films and four happy endings, the Shrek franchise may have come to an end but the wonderfully entertaining spirit lives on thanks to its scene-stealing feline. Puss, voiced by a breathy, seductive Antonio Banderas, gets his chance to shine in his own film and he doesn't let us down.
Puss in Boots follows a simple formula, which director Chris Miller is familiar with as the co-director of Shrek 3 - fairytale inspired plot, humour appealing to adults and kids and the odd amusing film reference.
To avoid deja vu and to distance Puss from the forest-based Shrek franchise, the writers have produced a swashbuckling spaghetti western which tells the legend of this outlaw, and his boots.
Here, Puss is joined by a devious egg, Humpty Alexander Dumpty (Galifianakis), and a street savvy cat called Kitty Softpaws (Hayek). They convince Puss to help them steal magic beans from Jack and Jill, notorious outlaws voiced in a southern style by Billy Bob Thornton and Amy Sedaris. Having the beans will enable them to capture the golden-egg laying goose at the top of the beanstalk.
The real star though is Banderas's Zorro-like Puss - part action hero, part Latin lover and dancer, and also the little kitty with adorable giant eyes who just wants to please his mother. Puss in Boots is a light affair intent on simply entertaining, and it does that well thanks to the charm of its title character. It's also fast-paced, funny and action-packed, and its crisp and colourful animation is well worth catching in 3D.
