Moonrise Kingdom

Anderson's scout sale - contrived, copied from previous deeds, atypically unfinished (so many ideas simply just fade out), and more than anemic in terms of the storytelling. I accept the poetry of the first loves and boy's camping, but I expect more from Wes than the amusing shallowness, which mainly turns into a total spasm in the end. (07/07/2012)

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. (12/17/2016)

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% (07/19/2012)

An oddity for indie lovers, hipsters and various other weirdos who will probably drool over the film of the year. For a normal viewer, however, except for a few moments, it is almost non-stop suffering with oddly chosen music and a convoluted ending. At least in terms of actors there is someone to lean on. (01/17/2022)

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* (11/25/2012)