Directed by Chris Miller. Voices of Antonio Banderas, Salma Hayek, Zach Galifianakis, Billy Bob Thornton, Amy Sedaris, Guillermo del Toro, Zeus Mendoza G cert, general release, 90 min
THE LAST Shrekfilm wasn't bad, but, by the close of that overextended cycle, few punters were mourning its demise. The green ogre had done all there was to be done with quips involving flatulent Scotsmen (or, rather, Scotsthings). We couldn't stand watching the Princess being turned back into a human again.
Mind you, Puss in Boots was still funny. Though Seth Macfarlane works it to death with Brian in Family Guy, the joke that sees an anthropomorphised animal suddenly reverting to instinct – lapping milk, regurgitating fur balls – could surely take a few more turns round the auditorium. So it proves.
The first offshoot from Shrekmakes little attempt to break new ground. The linear plot still touches on ancient fairytales – the final act apes Jack and the Beanstalk– and the dialogue still features the odd adult-friendly double entendre. There are a few more Sergio Leone references. There is a little less romantic schmaltz. But this is a very efficient, impressively lean extension of DreamWorks' great money spinner.
The voicework is all-important. Beautifully parodying his own exotic persona (the opening features a nod to Desperado), Antonio Banderas returns as the glamorous, slightly caddish bandit feline.
At some point before the events in Shrek, Puss learns that Jack and Jill – a pair of outlaws who look uncannily like Biffa Bacon's parents from Viz– have control of those powerful magic beans. Joining forces with the slippery Humpty Dumpty (Zach Galifianakis) and a mysterious masked lady cat (it has to be Salma Hayek), our hero sets out to secure the magic legumes and gain a supply of golden eggs.
Lighter and shorter than the Shrekfilms, Puss in Bootscould easily be mistaken for a straight- to-DVD spin-off. It zips in one eye and out the other without leaving any lasting impression. The liveliness is, however, greatly to be welcomed. Better this than the overblown pomp of a recent automobile-themed Pixar sequel.
It’s not purrfect, it’s not the cat’s pyjamas, it’s not . . . Oh, you get the idea.
