Isle of Dogs 2018
Wes Anderson gets entirely too much acclaim and is certainly overrated by critics, however he is original and his movies have gotten better, to the point where he has even won me over, with The Grand Budapest Hotel topping my list for 2014 and 2012’s Moonrise Kingdom making my top five. Still, my expectations were somewhat tempered by my so-so opinion of Fantastic Mr. Fox and the previews which made the people look a little like they came from South Park. Anderson’s movies don’t waste much time and with a labor intensive process like stop motion animation, there is that much less room for extra frames. The movie jumps right into the main plot where a cat-loving clan of Japanese leaders has all dogs banned to an island of landfills and industrial ruins. The people in the movie speak Japanese for the most part, though often translated into English, and the dogs all speak English and in fact are Anderson’s group of regulars. The main plot involves tracking down a particular dog, while a political drama is going on on the mainland as high school kids push for the return of their pets. There are some funny moments, the dog characters are generally very good, and the story isn’t that bad, though it’s not exactly an original concept. It drags a little at times, but is mostly fun to watch. I don’t think it is quite as good as some of Anderson’s more recent live action movies, but definitely worth watching.
Written: 15 Apr 2018
Owned on: Blu-ray, DVD, Digital