Before his adventures with Shrek, swashbuckling feline Puss in Boots (voiced by Antonio Banderas) followed a journey of his own. Puss in Boots takes us into his story, starting with his wide-eyed childhood in an orphanage in the Spanish town of San Ricardo, where he first earned the friendship of the popular egg, Humpty Dumpty (voiced by Zach Galifianakis) - and yes, viewers get to see why he fell off the wall.
Apart from this idyllic childhood, the plot thickens when Humpty steals the town's gold and frames Puss, setting him up for years on the run. Years later, cracked, imprisoned and overcome with a thirst for revenge, Humpty formulates a new devious plan, enlisting the help of sexy Kitty Softpaws (voiced by Selma Hayek) and brutish couple Jack and Jill (voiced by Billy Bob Thornton and Amy Sedaris). Together, they manipulate Puss into helping them find another fairy tale staple: a set of magic beans which lead up a magic beanstalk to the golden eggs laid by a golden goose. All the while, Puss in Boots tries to prove his good character and redeem the respect of his "mother" from the orphanage.
Although Dreamworks fits this all into a nice, tied-up story, the characters are overkill and leave the plot completely predictable. Puss is all one would expect him to be - a master of his sword, a great lover - which he likes to point out maybe too often - an outlaw, and a hero, fighting to protect his home, his family and his friends. But as a stale stereotypical character, Puss undergoes an arduous journey, yet never grows or learns from his mistakes. His loyalty makes him easy bait for characters like Humpty or Kitty Softpaws, and, though he ultimately saves the town of San Ricardo, he cannot gain acceptance or escape his outlaw status, partially because his swashbuckling character depends on his renegade condition. He is a womanizer and outlaw from start to finish, and his cheesy lines and kitty-ways tend to knock you over the head a few times too many.
This is not to say that the story is not entertaining or that the characters are not completely humorous. Despite any trite moments, Puss's character is clever overall, asking for "leche" (or milk) in bars, and licking himself the way any cat would. "I smell something familiar," Puss quips as he faces Humpty Dumpty. "Something dangerous. Something breakfast-y!" Puss in Boots does have many comical moments, not only for the main character Puss, but also for the truly disgusting couple, Jack and Jill. Despite the movie's failure to offer any surprises, Puss in Boots provides great entertainment for those who liked Shrek and want to see the franchise taken in a new direction.
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