Puss In Boots (2011)

Shrek has been Dreamworks Animation's big, money making franchise over the last few years. Every time a new film is released, the Shrek franchise has always been a success, but, quite smartly, Dreamworks have realised they can't keep churning out the same film every couple of years, so they have now decided to turn their attention to one of its best loved characters; Puss In Boots.

Back before he crossed paths with Shrek and the rest of the gang, Puss (Antonio Banderas) was a roving outlaw and thief, haunted by his best friend Humpty Dumpty (Zach Galifianakis) seeming betrayal, Puss is looking for a way to clear his name and get back home.

The plot doesn't always run as smoothly as it should, but director Chris Miller manages to cram in lots of action in a quest that Puss undertakes before crossing paths with the big green ogre. It's another fun-packed fairytale mash-up that will make kids and adults laugh.

Puss marks his territory from the outset, somewhere south of the border where his reputation for handy swordsmanship is put to the test  by a sleek black cat who turns out to be professional femme fatale Kitty Softpaws (Salma Hayek).

Their great swordplay and banter is a cheeky nod to Desperado, but there is a smidgen of Sergio Leone too when it comes to the extreme close-ups and choreographed stalking, complete with an Ennio Morricone inspired soundtrack. They're both on the hunt for some magic beans, said to be in the hands of Jack and Jill (Billy Bob Thornton & Amy Sedaris).

Like Puss himself, this spin-off is swift on its paws and happily, much more lighter on the pop cultural gags. There is still a slight tendency to cram too much in, but on the whole, it works. Hayek does some decent work and it's no surprise to know there's plenty of spark between her and Banderas. It's just unfortunate that the character of Kitty isn't as memorable as some of the other characters in the franchise. However, it's nice to see Dreamworks continuing to hire some quality actors and letting their voices do the lifting. Because there is so much focus on the one character instead of the ensemble that was Shrek & co, there are a heap of jokes that are, for the most part, effective.

The movie itself is gorgeous to look at and makes good use of the extra dimension without over doing it. It's also the first film from Dreamworks to have input from Executive Producer Guillermo del toro, who had a couple of voice cameos and added his opinion to the look of the film.

Puss in Boots did well at the US box office (Originally planned as a straight to DVD release), and will not be surprised to see it continue that success in the UK. Puss is a very good family film that will have people of all ages laughing. Just don't go expecting much imagination in the storytelling department.