Movie Thoughts: Puss in Boots (2012)

 

• Released: October 23, 2012
  
• Directed by: Chris Miller
  
• Running time: 1 h 30 min
• Rating 3/5

Synopsis

Puss in Boots, joined by mastermind Humpty Dumpty and notorious thief Kitty Softpaws, goes on the hunt for the golden eggs of the goose of the giant on top of the beanstalk.

My Thoughts

I've seen this one a few times now and each time I just don't really like it all that much. I wouldn't call it bad, just not all that great. I don't find it fun, I don't find the journey to be all that grand and epic, the villains are lame, and I don't find the characters all that great, either.

Granted, I do like our titular hero, and Kitty is okay (I'm mostly neutral on her, even in the sequel) but Humpty Dumpty as our third protagonist/villain...just isn't my thing. They keep trying to push this thing of how he is good deep down inside when so many of his actions show otherwise. 

If he was truly good why was he constantly stealing others' shit? Why did he trick and betray Puss the first time? Why did he set up this super-elaborate con just to get back at Puss for (very rightfully) leaving him on top of that bridge? Remember, he knew the mother goose would come for the town to slaughter everyone (including innocents), yet he still went along with it. That's not the actions of a morally gray character, that's the actions of a villain. And Humpty doing one right thing in the end and they dying does not at all redeem his character from me. I don't like him in any way, really. Even his design looks kind of uncanny valley. I get what they were going for, a more morally gray master manipulator villain who has a personal connection to our hero. But the execution doesn't work for me at all.

I guess one other thing I do have to say about it is that this movie has this trope where child characters are voiced by adults and it's just too obvious. I get that they were going for a comedic effect, but it just never works for me. Get some child actors for the few lines kid Humpty and Puss had, or just some adult actors who can pull off a kid voice well. Having the adult voices for Humpty and Puss in their child designs is just so jarring. It could work for their teenage designs, but their younger flashback versions definitely could benefit from more fitting voices that don't take me out of the movie.

And, yeah, I really don't have anything to say about this movie other than probably just that. The movie looks good for the most part, the story is okay, some of the characters decent, but that's it. I don't find it to really stand out in any way and out of the entire Shrek universe we've got going on this is my least favorite movie. I know a lot of people hate Shrek the Third, but I still find to be at least funnier and more memorable than this one.