Spin-off films (or anything spin-off) are usually not good. I had concerns for this film since it was first announced as a direct-to-dvd several years ago. My concern was more that Puss might not be a strong enough character to carry an entire film without Eddie Murphy or Mike Myers.
Set during what I assume is the same time period of the first Shrek film. Okay, maybe that's too much to assume. It all happens before Puss tells Shrek and Donkey to fear him if they dare. In this film Puss (Antonio Banderas) is still a bandit. He hears talk of the legend of the gold-laying goose. Attempting to steal magic beans from Jack and Jill (yep those ones that fell down the hill), Puss meets another feisty female cat named Kitty Softpaws (Salma Hayek) and as a result is reunited with his "brother" Humpty Dumpty (Zach Galifianakis). They travel into the sky and steal the goose and Puss saves the day.
Some of the funniest moments in the film are where we see Puss act like a cat. Lapping up a shot glass of milk or chasing a small ball of light were two of my favorites. The animation itself is beautiful in particular when Mr. In Boots and Ms. Softpaws have a dance fight. There are so many wonderful little spaghetti western homages in the film but I got the feeling that, in a theater of around forty people, I was only one of two-ish who got those. I wish I could help those people learn more.
The majority of my criticism for the film lies with the character of Humpty Dumpty. Well, maybe not so much with the character but rather with Galifianikis. His take on the character is to do what all the king's horses and all the king's men did with the character. Nothing. The film itself is lacking during his far too often screen time. That's right Dreamworks. Dumpty fell off the wall and brought the film down.
★★★
