Isle Of Dogs (2018)

 

Genre: Adventure/ Comedy 

Time: 1h 41mins

Director: Wes Anderson 

Quick Summary: Set in Japan, Isle of Dogs follows a boy's odyssey in search of his lost dog.

Wonderfully quirky and simple, if you want a cute film this is it. 

Something I love is how he keeps his unique style and makes it work very well with the futuristic, but still traditional Japanese art. It also incorporates some cartooning along with interesting ideas - the Japanese dialogue is not always translated. When it is, it's by interpreters or foreign exchange students which was a clever storytelling element to convey only the most essential information. 

I'm glad, this film didn't need to be overloaded with words. Don't get me wrong, it was still funny with his usual witty and dry humour and had a good mix of exposition and lighthearted moments. It keeps its whimsical and silly nature throughout, along with a good amount of weight to still be interesting. He always manages to create such a vast amount of world-building by using minimal settings and locations. Especially through the use of stop-motion because the amount of tiny details that went into each set amazes me. 

The animation is stunning. Every frame, and I mean every single frame, is just magnificent to look at. You feel the characters' emotions through their well-animated face; even the dogs, you can see every hair on the dogs' bodies move, you feel every movement of this film and adore it for how charming and how much it oozes Wes Anderson. I don't think this is his best personally or his most iconic but even from looking at screenshots, you can tell who made it. 

The sad thing about this film is that not a lot happens for how long it is, but it doesn't feel rushed. Its vibe is very calm and quiet, even the action feels muted. I noticed this isn't as fun feeling as the rest of his films. This isn't a complaint, it can be kind of boring for the wrong type of people, unfortunately. As well even though it is sort of expected, the focus was more on the dogs which isn't really a bad thing it's just sadly a lot of the human characters fell flat.

I liked the music within this too, it didn't feel out of place and fit the vibe perfectly in aiding the story. This is a wonderfully charming film that I'm sure most people will enjoy. The timing, the cuts, and the quirkiness are so likeable and will definitely please most fans of his work. 

I personally like the humour and delivery in this. Everything is so long-winded and takes a while to come around to the joke but when it gets there it really hits for me. It's all delivered in such a deadpan way that I can't help but love, being someone who uses the same expressive humour. It's so blunt and sharp, and it comes across as super serious due to blank expressions but you can see the lighthearted jabs it puts across through subtle glances or the context of what is being said.

I wouldn't say this is a starter to get into Wes Anderson, but a must-see for fans of him. Wonderfully unique and charming.

7/10

"Chief: That kid is gonna get us all put to sleep. Euthanized. We won't find the dog, but we will die trying.

Rex: Not a bad way to go."

"Nutmeg: Will you help him, the little pilot?

Chief: Why should I?

Nutmeg: Because he's a twelve-year-old boy, dogs love those."

"[Two packs of feral dogs growling at each other over a garbage bag potentially containing food]

Rex: Wait a second. Before we attack each other and tear ourselves to shreds like a pack of maniacs, let's just open the sack first and see what's actually in it. It might not even be worth the trouble.

Igor: Alright.

Rex: A rancid apple core, two worm-eaten banana peels, a moldy rice cake, a dried-up pickle, tin of sardine bones, a pile of broken egg-shells, an old smushed-up rotten gizzard with maggots all over it...

Chief: Okay, it's worth it.

[All dogs proceed to fight]"