Moonrise Kingdom

One of the four Wes Anderson films that I really enjoy. The two leads were perfect, well supported by a great cast of supporting characters, especially Edward Norton as Scout Master Ward. The film has a quirky melancholic atmosphere, which is underscored by an aptly chosen soundtrack. It is also full of unexpected traps, such as arrows, left-handed scissors, fishhook earrings, lightning, fallen totems, and child protective services. I had a great time and, unlike during Life Aquatic, I didn't fall asleep. (2016-12-17)

At the idea level, Moonrise Kingdom is basically a live-action version of Fantastic Mr. Fox, but with greater interest in the juvenile protagonist, who in Anderson’s film is equal to the adult protagonists (which is nicely shown in the partner relationship between Captain Sharp and Sam). This time, the king of indie films expresses his reluctance to leave the realm of childhood and to give up the wilderness and his own nature in favour of civilisation with a strong tinge of nostalgia (which somewhat clashes with several unexpectedly grown-up scenes of youthful first love). Even his inimitable playfulness sometimes has to give way to it. The banality of some of the plot twists and character transformations, which is the result of having too many characters and the effort to appropriately reward each of them, contrasts with the incredible degree of care put into each shot. The jokes don’t scream for our attention and it perhaps isn’t even possible to catch all of them or, as the case may be, find them in the mise-en-scéne on the first viewing. Anderson is able to work with the setting with a similar imaginativeness and poetic sense of space as, for example, Jacques Tati. Unlike Tati, however, he works with smaller areas (the Bishops’ home gives the impression of a dollhouse thanks to its “fragmentation” into individual rooms) as well as panoramas of more expansive exterior spaces so that they seem very flat (perhaps like side-scrolling video games). My admiration for the meticulousness and imaginativeness with which the film was made (i.e., not made up) outweighed my enchantment this time, but even so, it is still a huge shift in my attitude, since a few years ago I ranked Anderson among the directors that I would never even remotely be friends with. 85% (2012-07-19)

Sam and Suzy present with the reputation of a a masterpiece, but they convince me of what I suspected a long time ago: I am much happier when Wes Anderson talks about family relationships than when he relies entirely on nostalgia in coming-of-age stories. That's why I continue to enjoy The Royal Tenenbaums, The Life Aquatic with Steve Zissou, or the underestimated The Darjeeling Limited; and yet there are a few things that bother me about Moonrise Kingdom, which moodily joins forces with Rushmore. All the usual shyness and elusiveness suddenly seem too deliberate for me, and the dialogues are always slightly overdone, to make Wes's typical moods easier to recognize. Bruce Willis, the meticulous Edward Norton, and the perpetually serious Kara Hayward work perfectly, but even they fail to convince me to go on this road trip again. (2012-10-16)

I've got used to the fact that Anderson only makes films for a certain audience and that I would have to be high to relate to his fictional worlds. But while The Life Aquatic with Steve Zissou and Fantastic Mr. Fox didn't interest me at all, Moonrise Kingdom was quite good and I managed to have a fine time with it (and I wasn't high). The simple and effective premise plays a significant role, and in the hands of an interesting director, which Anderson undoubtedly is, takes on much greater dimensions of thought and narrative, and the same can be said about the excellent performances of the actors. Bruce Willis in particular, with a proper role after a long time, is a pleasure to watch in a different position than just as John McClane, Edward Norton is also unique as a scout leader, and we will have to keep a close eye on young Kara Hayward in the future. Anderson has finally pulled it off, and even though he alternates excellent moments with weaker ones far too often for my taste, he has managed to create a very easygoing family film with great child heroes, for which one screening is probably not enough. 3 and 1/2* (2012-11-25)

Wes Anderson is a unique character who you don't see in world cinema too often. He always manages to surprise me, whether positively or negatively. Moonrise Kingdom is supposedly heavily inspired by his own childhood, and in that case, I wouldn't want to be his father or scout leader. Just as Miloš Forman became a role model for firefighters, Anderson has become one for scouting. Moonrise Kingdom is a film about children, love, determination, and bad weather. This film about rebellion against the adult world and the journey to fulfill a first love resonated with me. So far, this has been my most delightful encounter with Wes Anderson's work. The director's sense of absurdity, irony, and nonconformity definitely triumphed here. Overall impression: 95%. (2018-04-26)