4/5
Written and Directed by: Wes Anderson
Rated: PG-13
Wes Anderson is a film director with a vision different from others. His aim is telling unique storybook stories on the big screen, though he may not even use the whole screen due to his like for adjusting aspect ratios. Wes Anderson's films are commonly identified by their visual adoration of symmetry and perpendicular camera movements that make the film appear as if it takes place in a two dimensional world. Wes Anderson also crafts his film's aesthetically using only colors from a pre-selected color scheme. Any of Wes Anderson's films can be seen as an admirable work of idiosyncratic cinematic genius, and Isle of Dogs is no exception.
Isle of Dogs is the story of one boy's daring voyage to find his dog on an island composed of trash and exiled dogs from Japan. The island nation has recently ruled that, due to a sudden break out of dog flu, all dogs will be removed from the country and placed on trash island. The dogs live like dogs, scrounging for rotten food and barking and biting at anyone in their way of survival. Most of the dogs live with fondness for their long lost masters, while some have taken to life in the rugged and grotesquely beautiful piles of garbage on their island. The dogs' lives of malignant misery are interrupted when Atari Kobayshi, the son of the mayor who banished the dogs, crash lands himself in a homemade plane into trash island. He is looking for his body guard dog, Spots. This story deals with elements of leadership, bravery, ferociousness, companionship, conspiracy and politics. As this story progresses, some audience members may be deterred by its disjointed and curious nature while others will not mind and may even appreciate it more.
Not only is Isle of Dogs' story unique, it is also told in a unique way. Each character is brought to life by clever writing spoken by an individualistic performance. Aided by the voice acting talents of Bryan Cranston, Edward Norton, Bob Balaban, Bill Murray, Jeff Goldblum and F. Murray Abraham and the voice actressing talents of Greta Gerwig, Frances McDormand, Scarlett Johansson and Tilda Swinton, this story is brought to life be an eclectic variety of voice talents. These, however, are only the performers in English speaking parts, and the majority of this film is not in English. In Wes Anderson's Isle of Dogs each character speaks in their own native language, the only exception being that the dogs been have translated into the viewer's language. Often times the Japanese characters in this film have to be interpreted by interpreter characters in the film, or else the audience must read their dialogue in subtitles at the bottom of the screen. It's peculiar, however the handicap it inflicts upon the film's story serves the audience by making them pay closer attention and take note of the film's specific culture in which it has submersed itself.
Aside from this film's unique story and its individualistic characters, Isle of Dogs' also has a bizarre aesthetic appearance. Crafted from stunning clay animation, scenes are shot in similar fashion to Wes Anderson's previous films. The environments in this film are stunning and stark. Each one is captured excellently by the camera and populated well by Wes Anderson's cast. A difference between this film and Wes Anderson's other works is this film's depiction of violence, disease and wild behavior. Isle of Dogs offers a fearful and sometimes sickening experience. There is a bizarre amount of bloody and sickly imagery in this film, ranging from chewed off dog ears to unflinching images of medical surgery. It can make some audience members wonder how come it is this film has a PG-13 rating and not an R rating. At the end of this film's experience some audience members will find something that has satisfied their appetite for bizarre cinema, while others may still feel the film brought them close to losing their lunch. Either way, this weird and wild film that is Isle of Dogs is worth any audience member's consideration.
Verdict: Wes Anderson's Isle of Dogs is a uniquely bizarre experience, presenting the story of a boy, his dog and political controversy, featuring excellent vocal performances and both sickly and stunning imagery.
Not only is Isle of Dogs' story unique, it is also told in a unique way. Each character is brought to life by clever writing spoken by an individualistic performance. Aided by the voice acting talents of Bryan Cranston, Edward Norton, Bob Balaban, Bill Murray, Jeff Goldblum and F. Murray Abraham and the voice actressing talents of Greta Gerwig, Frances McDormand, Scarlett Johansson and Tilda Swinton, this story is brought to life be an eclectic variety of voice talents. These, however, are only the performers in English speaking parts, and the majority of this film is not in English. In Wes Anderson's Isle of Dogs each character speaks in their own native language, the only exception being that the dogs been have translated into the viewer's language. Often times the Japanese characters in this film have to be interpreted by interpreter characters in the film, or else the audience must read their dialogue in subtitles at the bottom of the screen. It's peculiar, however the handicap it inflicts upon the film's story serves the audience by making them pay closer attention and take note of the film's specific culture in which it has submersed itself.
Aside from this film's unique story and its individualistic characters, Isle of Dogs' also has a bizarre aesthetic appearance. Crafted from stunning clay animation, scenes are shot in similar fashion to Wes Anderson's previous films. The environments in this film are stunning and stark. Each one is captured excellently by the camera and populated well by Wes Anderson's cast. A difference between this film and Wes Anderson's other works is this film's depiction of violence, disease and wild behavior. Isle of Dogs offers a fearful and sometimes sickening experience. There is a bizarre amount of bloody and sickly imagery in this film, ranging from chewed off dog ears to unflinching images of medical surgery. It can make some audience members wonder how come it is this film has a PG-13 rating and not an R rating. At the end of this film's experience some audience members will find something that has satisfied their appetite for bizarre cinema, while others may still feel the film brought them close to losing their lunch. Either way, this weird and wild film that is Isle of Dogs is worth any audience member's consideration.
Verdict: Wes Anderson's Isle of Dogs is a uniquely bizarre experience, presenting the story of a boy, his dog and political controversy, featuring excellent vocal performances and both sickly and stunning imagery.
