Visitors Review

tensorbundle 2013-05-15 01:18:12

Amazingly adventurous and endless fun

Fantastic. It was better than Shrek movies. They refined the fairy talestuff and gave it a vibrant twist and turn. With superb animation worksand nice plot the movie was enjoyable. I am glad they kept AntonioBanderas's voice for the Puss. He really got an enigmatic voice. Bothkids and adults will find fun in the movie. The touch of creativity inthe plot, Puss's adventurous journeys to the exotic places will keepyou entertained till the end. Surprisingly, the movie has beenunder-rated. Some people just don't like modified fairy-tale stuffs. Infact you will not feel that the story was based on fairy tale. The plotof this movie was made unique enough to be one of its kind.

Michael A. Smith 2013-05-14 18:23:16

Dare I say, in honor of Humpty, that the film is "egg"ceptional?

DICK STEEL 2013-05-14 13:27:03

A Nutshell Review: Puss in Boots

Shrek had run its course, having forcefully pushed itself into a fourthfilm that was really too trying, but I suppose Puss in Boots,introduced in the second film of the franchise, proved to have ninelives, and extended his longevity through a spin off film of his own.After all, there are plenty of cat lovers out there, and his antics inthe Shrek movies were undoubtedly the highlights when the Ogre and hispet donkey were getting really tired. Originally intended for straightto video, Puss in Boots proved to have what it takes for a big screenouting, and it didn't disappoint.Dreamworks Animation may seem to have a stranglehold on making a mickeyout of well known fairy tales, and this continues in its re-imaginingof characters adopted for the Puss in Boots origin story, where we gointo his background as an orphaned kitty cat brought up by Imelda(voiced by Constance Marie), only to disappoint his foster mum when hegot betrayed by best friend Humpty Alexander Dumpty (ZachGalifianakis), a brilliant inventive and creative mind who had turnedto a life of crime, staining the honor that Puss had gained through aheroic deed, banishing him forever as an outlaw and bandit.The two major story arcs in this film enriched the narrative, onedealing with the past of Puss in Boots, while the other having himreluctantly team up with Humpty once again if only to get close to hisnew squeeze, the master thief Kitty Softpaws (Salma Hayek), to take onthe very grown up and nasty Bonnie and Clyde inspired Jack and Jill(Billy Bob Thorton and Amy Sedaris), who are in possession of thefabled magical beans belonging to the other Jack (and the Beanstalk),where planting them at the correct spot would mean a path to theheavens to gain access to the goose that lays golden eggs, withrepercussions of course that comes with a force of nature to bereckoned with.What worked for Puss in Boots were the strengths of its story arcs, themajor set action pieces, the voice cast really providing that level offlair to the many flamboyant characters in the film as well asdramatic, emotional depth to key characters, and who can forget thecomedy. There are plenty of sight and verbal gags, and innuendos galorethat hardly a moment goes by without something naturally hilarioushappening, and does so quite subtly without screaming and forcing theirway down your throat. Which I had found the later Shrek films guilty ofdoing just that.Antonio Banderas provides the voice for Puss in Boots, and it's quiteconvenient that the character gets modelled after Zorro through aseries of identifiable elements from costuming, behaviour as well asstyle, a character that Banderas himself have played twice in liveaction films. Puss continues to drawn upon established abilitiesespecially that of its iconic hypnotic eyes, which somehow in aself-fulfilling fourth wall prophecy, will have any audience institches as well as held in captivating aww/awe. Zach Galifianakisvoices the misunderstood character Humpty Dumpty to perfection,providing that balance of villainy and sympathy, while I suspect thatthe animators would have had a field day with Humpty especially withthe plenty of movement gags that he got himself into, and playing uponnone too subtle fat jokes on the character, resulting in the characterstealing the scene most of the time. Hayek on the other hand did justenough providing her sultriness to the incredibly sexy feline thatlooked like, erm, Batman in costume.Hitting the right notes consistently throughout the film, here's apussy cat that's both a lover and a fighter and a film that can appealto both young and the not too young at heart alike. The producers ofShrek and Kungfu Panda may have found itself another character that hasenough legs to carry off yet another franchise on its own, but pleasedon't let it merge or include characters from Shrek too soon, as thiskitty deserves a rogues gallery and supportive allies of its own.Recommended!

David Edwards 2013-05-13 22:17:43

As you'd expect with DreamWorks, the animation is smooth and the 3D impressive, particularly when Puss and his partners in crime ride a giant beanstalk up into the heavens.

Robert 2013-05-05 06:07:49

A fairly decent one considering it's Dreamworks

I'll admit I wasn't certain how well this would do. I was a bituncertain, as this is dreamworks we are talking about. Their Shrekseries was okay (the last two were meh) but this was sort of a spin offof one of the characters introduced in Shrek 2.I found the animation to be very well done, the 3d gimmicks were prettywell put together, there were enough to make it worth the 3D. The maincharacters were interesting enough, however I felt that it was a bitmean to take the classic characters we know as love like Humpty Dumptyor Jack and Jill and make them evil. But this is the world, trying tohave humor with everything.I was very impressed with the lack of swearing though. You don't seethat too often these days. And in the end, the plot seemed predictable(Humpty 'dies' but then is seen to be alive again at the end) yet had asmall twist.In the end I rate this 7.5 or so. It is almost good enough to be an 8but just had that sort of clique sort of feel. But it was very wellmade considering it's dreamworks.

Sam Bathe 2013-05-04 15:44:53

What the film boast in charm and exuberance, it sadly lacks in emotional core, and while there isn't really any depth to the bonds formed over the 90 minutes, it's still a great family-friendly action-comedy.

Daniel M. Kimmel 2013-04-29 01:25:39

It turns out to be a tremendous amount of fun and not at all like the recent listless Shrek sequels.

Peter Debruge 2013-04-28 12:37:48

Puss' origin story could easily stand on its own -- a testament to clever writing on the part of its creative team and an irresistible central performance by Antonio Banderas.

tavm 2013-04-26 05:32:54

Puss in Boots is another entertaining Dreamworks animated movie

From the Shrek movies comes the Puss in Boots character voiced byAntonio Banderas with all the charm one expects from the character withthe addition of Kitty Softpaws (Selma Hayek) and Humpty AlexanderDumpty (Zack Galifianakis) also joining for a fun ride of trying toavoid being pursued by Jack (Billy Bob Thornton) and Jill (AmySedaris). Many funny scenes and lines but also much dramaticallycompelling close calls abound especially in 3-D. Many amusing mixups ofvarious fairy tales with "Jack and the Beanstalk" being mostly used assource. If you were among the disappointed (I wasn't by the way) whenwatching the last 2 Shrek movies, this one may make you forgive theDreamworks animation factory. So on that note, I highly recommend Pussin Boots.

Anita de Acosta Keith 2013-04-25 17:16:52

Awesome swashbuckler.

So Antonio Banderas is the Errol Flynn of modern animation. It was agreat movie, and not just for children. I liked Kitty Softpaws. She wasgreat, constantly smarter and outwitting Senor Banderas in his gatopersona. Kitty could have been portrayed by Catherine Zeta-Jones,easily, because I liked her with Banderas and their swordplay in theZorro movie. Salma Hayek did a wonderful job, however.It was a very physical movie, with the main characters leaping up anddown several stories and doing acrobatic flips and turns a lot of thetime.Jack and Jill were hilarious, what with their family of wild boars andtheir darling infant. A lot of their jokes may not have been "gotten"by child audiences, but to older people the situation was really funny.You can forget all your cares and woes when you watch this couple.10/10

Matthew Turner 2013-04-25 04:21:08

Entertaining spin-off enlivened by a terrific voice performance from Shrek scene-stealer Antonio Banderas and colourful animation work but the script is weak and the film blows all its best gags early on.

BigWhiskers 2013-04-24 10:23:52

Cute but nothing to write home about

Riding the coat tails of the popular although somewhat overdone Shrekmovies comes Puss N Boots starring the voice talents of AntonioBanderas as the title character and Salma Hayek as his female catcounterpart Kitty Soft Paws. The movie is cute and has some good snappybanter and even a well choreographed cartoon dance fight that had mesmiling. Antonio Banderas does really good with Puss and the facialexpressions are amazingly patterned after his own face which adds tothe overall quality of the character. Salma Hayek does good with KittySoft Paws too ,adding some fun. I didn't like Zach Galifianakis'sHumpty Dumpty character though, besides the lazy voice over - it couldhave been Humpty N Boots as he basically takes over 75 percent of themovie with so much boring dialog and it just drags the movie down.There is too little time devoted to Puss's origin too and it neverexplains how he got in the baby buggy as a kitten either. They reallyneeded to spend more time on Puss and not Humpty , the payoff to thestory was kind of a letdown too as I think everyone knew that Humptywas in on the scam with the obvious clues and the whole mess of the biggoose etc. Of course , the ending leaves it open for the inevitablesequel which I hope they write better and have a better overall storybecause this one had better potential and ends up being a 7/10 .

Scott Mendelson 2013-04-22 11:35:31

What could have been a cheap and easy spin-off is instead a surprisingly engaging and richly constructed adventure film.

Owen Gleiberman 2013-04-22 04:45:34

In the Shrek films, the joke of Puss in Boots, with his trilled consonants and penchant for chest-puffing sword duels, is that no one this cuddly should try to be this dashing. But in Puss in Boots, that joke wears out its welcome in 15 minutes.

Michal Slupczynski 2013-04-18 22:39:36

8/10 because Humpty is ugly

Many of my friends said that this movie was nothing to be excited aboutand I watched it without high expectation to fill my evening. But I have to admit, I was very nicely surprised - honestly, this movieis one of the best motion pictures I've ever seen: It has stunningvisuals, an amazingly written and animated choreography (both for thefights and for the dances - every hair, every muscle of the cats justplays so nicely), it shows great love to the most tiny detail, good andeasy to follow story (which is not always the best, but it's ananimated movie kids should understand, so this time it's desired), itsports a well written and most importantly well played/animated lovestory, quite good action, well placed references to other media (Firstrule of bean club...) and of course - the cats. OK, I admit - I'm a cat person, I basically am a cat, so that probablycasts a slight shadow on my review but still, Puss in Boots is a verygood movie.Two things I would change to make this movie simply the best movie ofall times: come up with a better visual idea for Humpty Dumpty (he'sreally ugly) and place Jack Black in his role (though I guess his egowouldn't comply too well with playing a sidekick :D)

Nell Minow 2013-04-18 08:01:28

Less visually striking, less funny, and less heart-warming than the Shrek movies and with completely unnecessary 3D, it is a step down for the series.

TwistedVanity 2013-04-17 15:11:30

A great laugh for kids and adults

This was simply fun. It had great laughs that were aimed at both adultsand children, the plot was entertaining and original. Great actionscenes. And it even had a dance fight! The voice actors were excellent, giving life and depth to theircharacters,and the artists then added a wealth of believable, andsometimes subtle expression and character to their drawings as well.You felt everything Puss in Boots felt. The plot was original and extremely fun, there was a perfect balance ofback plot and story that gave an entertaining insight into Puss. Themovie then seamlessly blended action, tragedy and humour into adelightful tale that both adults and children will love too watch againand again. Which is good because with my kids I'm sure I'll have too.I would compare this to the first shrek movie, awesome animation, justenough character depth to entertain both adults and children, inspiredhumour for both adults and children, and a wealth of action scenes thatare so beautifully drawn and animated that the entire film is just eyecandy. Without doubt both adults and children will love this movie.

bkrauser-81-311064 2013-04-17 01:38:18

Not Exactly the Cat's Meow

Puss in Boots is a competently made kids' film in the sense that itscolorful, quickly paced and accessible. If you're an undiscerningparent their are certainly worse things to see with your children;mindless dribble like Spy Kids 4D comes to mind. Alas, despiteoccasional flashes of originality this spin-off of the immenselypopular "Shrek" series seems as phoned-in as an episode of TheFlintstones.The story begins with our titular hero (Antonio Banderas), living onthe razor's edge of the law searching for his next big score. Intriguedby rumors of magic beans, Puss looks to steal them from the dastardlyduo Jack and Jill (Billy Bob Thornton and Amy Sedaris) but not beforebumping into like minded thief Kitty Softpaws (Salma Hayek) and formerfriend/adopted brother Humpty Dumpty (Zach Galifianakis). The threethen forge a shaky alliance and hatch a plan to steal the beans, plantthe stalk and make their way to the castle in the sky to find agold-laying goose.The most glaring problem with the film is the script which possesses asolid outline but little else. The jokes are sparse and mostly revolvearound our hero being a cat or Humpty Dumpty being an egg and charactermotivations are fuzzy to say the least. It seemed almost as if thewriters wanted to do ambitious things but didn't have time for a fewmore rewrites before the project was rushed into production.Still, its refreshing to see a Dreamworks Animation production thatisn't heavy on the pop-culture references. Additionally the animationitself is beautiful and Antonio Banderas once again projects his Latinlover persona into the role with gusto.At one point a crucial character tells Puss to stop stealing informinghim that "you are better than this." truer words have never been saidand no sounder advice can be given to this film's creators.

kosmasp 2013-04-15 19:01:32

Entertaining and by the numbers

I enjoyed the movie and I thought it was a really nice comedy. Havingseen the trailer though, there was almost nothing left to laugh about.Most jokes are in there. Which of course can be said about mostcomedies and you wonder why the have to put all the jokes in there? Arethey afraid no one will go into the theatre? Whatever the case may be,the movie is entertaining enough.But is it Oscar-material? I don't think so! In a year, where Pixar onlyhad Cars 2 to offer, none of the rivals seemed to really catch theopportunity. And the one movie that actually should have been thewinner wasn't even nominated (see "Tin Tin" the Spielberg movie).People would argue it was motion captured, but they still had toanimate that and the backgrounds and everything else.Back to Puss in Boots, which sees Banderas reprising his role, havinggood chemistry with Salma Hayek (nothing to wonder here) and Zach G.doing his comedy routine. Unfortunately the movie takes again thecompletely inapt way of unbelievable villain turning nice and goodagain. Most of the movies who try that, just aren't convincing enough,as is this. But kids won't mind and you will have fun for the runningtime.

loco_73 2013-04-15 14:56:37

They also call me Chupacabra!

"Puss-in-Boots" is one of the funniest and most entertaining animatedmovies I have seen in recent times. Its not perfect by any means, assome parts seem to drag and at times the movie felt a bit too long forits own good, but on the whole it made for a nice viewing.I remember a decade or more ago when CGI movies were an event tobehold. Each release was noteworthy. Movies like the original "ToyStory", "Finding Nemo", "Ice Age", "Monsters Inc." and the first"Shrek". To that veritable gallery I would venture to add thespectacularly underrated "Final Fantasy". When I saw that movie back in1999 (damn, I can't believe that was soo long ago...holly crap I'mgetting old!), the potential of CGI movies was fully revealed. Ithoroughly enjoyed the visionary creativity of that film, especiallysince it had a more mature, adult slant (something sorely lacking inCGI movies, especially in North America, where CGI movies seem to beexclusively aimed at a young audience).Since then technology has advanced by leaps and bounds and so have CGImovies. Now it seems that there is one of them coming out every otherweek. This has not necessarily translated into an all-around positiveeffect, because while their quantity has increased, their quality hassteadily declined. Adding 3D effects and cutesy side-kicks cannot makeup for the lack of having a compelling story, an interesting plot andwell developed characters.This brings me back to "Puss-In-Boots". This movie has all that, acompelling story, a good message, funny characters and a lot of humour,including a healthy dose of those "in-jokes" intended for the adults inthe audience, in most cases the parents who tag along with their kidsto watch the movie. That makes it a truly good family viewing becausenot only will the children have a good time, but there is plenty forthe adults to enjoy too."Puss-In-Boots" is the most entertaining CGI (animated) movie I've seensince "Despicable Me" and "Monsters Vs. Aliens". Not on par with thegem that was "UP", but a solid offering of funny!"We found a bag of catnip on you!" jail guard. "Its for my glaucoma!",Puss. Enough said...