Review: Moonrise Kingdom

Davidde Gelmini | August 4, 2012 | Reply

Moonrise Kingdom is the latest feature from Wes Anderson, the auteur behind such cult classics such as Bottle Rocket, The Darjeeling Limited and Fantastic Mr. Fox. Here Anderson is back on top form, telling a story about two children who fall in love and run away from their home on a rural island, and the search to find them.

Still from Wes Anderson's Moonrise Kingdom

Right from the opening scene of one of the main character’s voices playing over a musical score describing each instrument and the effect that it has to the overall piece, we know that film is going feature eccentric, over the top storytelling and Anderson does not disappoint. From a scene where we read a passage from a science-fiction novel to a scene where Edward Norton – who plays the scout master – reads his diary entries, this is a film which tries hard to shy away from a typical, formulaic narrative. The screenplay, by Anderson and Roman Coppola, has a real sense of strangeness to it which sets the film a long way apart from other releases.

The film’s biggest strength lies in its strong performances from its powerful ensemble cast. The two main child actors are both amazing in their debut roles and are bound to go on and achieve great things, Bruce Willis delivers a sensitive performance which is a far cry from his usual action hero role and may earn him a belated Oscar nomination, whilst Francis McDormand, Bill Murray, Jason Schwartzmann, Tida Swinton etc all shine in their roles.

Perhaps the strongest character in the film, however, is the island itself. Anderson makes the most of the stunning natural scenery to make the viewer feel as though they are entering another world, and at times it even feels like they are watching a nature documentary. Anderson is one of very few directors who clearly knows how to use visual elements and not just dialogue to tell a story.

The only gripe to be had is the runtime of only 94 minutes. We are not, as a result, really given enough time to get to know these characters as we would like to. Had it been longer, Anderson could have spent more time allowing us to become immersed in the unique world that he has created. However, this tight runtime does mean that the viewer doesn’t lose interest and instead will give the film their full attention.

Moonrise Kingdom is a true return to form for Anderson, whose next feature will be The Grand Budapest Hotel starring Johnny Depp, set for release in 2013. If it is anything like Moonrise Kingdom, then 2013 could not come sooner.

Review by Davidde Gelmini

Rating:

Moonrise Kingdom

Director: Wes Anderson

Writers: Wes Anderson, Roman Coppola

Starring: Jared Gilman, Kara Hayward and Bruce Willis

Rating:

About Davidde Gelmini

Davidde Gelmini (That's Mr Gelmini to you - and the G isn't silent), as well as The London Film Review's hardest working and most prolific writer, is a soon-to-be film graduate / MA student who is currently working on a number of films, both fiction and documentaries.