The Review: Moonrise Kingdom

Is Wes Anderson’s latest the most Wes Andersony?

“A pair of young lovers flee their New England town, which causes a local search party to fan out and find them.” – [IMDB]

The Review

Anderson delivers another charming film. Enough said.

The Verdict

Worth it – to clarify, this is worth it if you like Wes Anderson’s style, but it’s also just a good movie about two crazy kids falling in love.

The Overview

When I was 12, I can tell you right now the last thing on my mind was love. I was more interested in destroying my friends in Super Smash Bros., but then again that was 2000, and not the 1960s. The story of Wes Anderson’s Moonrise Kingdom follows two 12-year-old kids who find each other by chance, and plan to meet again by running away. It’s touching really, and in many ways these two kids are more grown up than some of the adults in the film, which is what makes this a great story.

Speaking of the adults, you’ve got Bruce Willis as a sad cop on this small island, two lawyer parents played by Bill Murray and Frances McDormand, and Edward Norton as a somewhat inept troop leader. In other words, great talent as usual from Wes Anderson, but the two kids are excellent as well. Sure, they act like 12-year-olds, and they act like 12-year-olds, but it works, and it’s charming and touching and different but still Wes Andersony.

I don’t really know what else to say. This is a classic Wes Anderson film, with all the usual suspects, usual camera movements, usual quirkiness, and it’s something that has to hit you just right in order for you to enjoy every bit of it. Still, it’s worth a watch, even if it only reminds you of how little you understood the workings of the world when you were 12.

But I’m sure you could figured out it was worth it since it continues to rebound on the box office every week.