A decent beginner's swashbuckler, but not much more

Rating: 6/10 (14 December 2014)

A spin-off from the once loved Shrek series, it's exactly what it says on the tin; a standalone tale for everyone's favourite Spanish swordfighting cat. This time, Puss is on the hunt for Goose of the Golden Eggs. However, it wouldn't be much of a chase without competition, both from the Thuggish couple of Jack and Jill, as well as the enigmatic Kitty SoftPaws, a cat who proves herself to be Puss' equal in combat. Along the journey, however, we also learn of Puss' past, and his rekindling with old friend, Humpty Dumpty.
Never fully embracing its swashbuckling lunacy, 'Puss in Boots' makes for decent family entertainment with some highlights, but feels like it could've so much more. Instead, 'Puss' trades in what could've been a great Zorro/Pirates-style pastiche of overblown adventures, which is kind of what the Puss character was original derived from, for a routine hero origin story mixed with a heist/chase film. It's not bad by any means, and there are indeed positives: like most Dreamworks' productions, the film looks and sounds great. The animation is crisp and vibrant, with the fur details on Puss and Kitty having come a long way in just ten years. The voice cast is rock solid, with Banderas able to play this role in his sleep, while everyone else, including Zach Galifinakis, Selma Hayek, Billy Bob Thornton and Amy Sedaris, are having an absolute ball. Henry Jackman's score also lends a hand, playing like a faster and zanier version of James Horner's music from, what else, 'Zorro' (and probably a better 'Zorro' score than the pile of rehash that Horner produced for 'Legend').
However, all the polish in the world won't mask the fact that, well, 'Puss' never really offers big, hearty laughs. Most of the jokes amount to little more than slapstick or playing up familiar Puss tropes like the 'cute eyes', and are nowhere near as inventive or playful as say, the first two 'Shreks'. Plus, by not embracing the swashbuckling-jabbing that much, this does leaves other elements deflated; the villains are not especially threatening or even that funny, the action setpieces are not particularly inventive or impressive, as well as few in number, and again, it limits joke creativity, with a lot of potential for sight gags being missed as a result. (Just look at Men In Tights for an example of what happens when you can let rip).
As for the core element, the story itself, it's fine; it's your basic treasure hunt story with some origin elements thrown in. Ironically, the film is at its strongest with the later, trading in wacky hijinks for smaller, more intimate moments as we see Puss grow up and his relationship with Humpty and his 'Mama', Imelda. Probably the best scene comes near the end, when Puss says goodbye to her; it's genuinely touching and rather nuanced for a Dreamworks film. For kids, it's a decent enough introduction to this sort of story, but it won't give something like 'Raiders' or even 'Stranger Tides' a run for their money in this field.
In the end, 'Puss in Boots' is definitely one more for the young 'uns. It's visually stunning and has some strong aspects, but there isn't much for older viewers, and if you've been spoiled by adventure cinema, 'Puss' doesn't quite do enough, or even poke fun at enough, to be worth more than a rental.
Let's hope 'Puss 2: 9 Lives and 40 Thieves' can improve things (and maybe Elliot and Rossio can return to the series so we can even get some nods to 'Aladdin').