isle of dogs
REVIEW
The film “Isle of Dogs” is directed by Wes Anderson and I like Wes Anderson I do not love Wes Anderson. I know he has a huge following and he attracts a certain type of person and that us great. When a movie lover meets someone who is a huge Wes Anderson fan I generally know they type of person I am meeting. Stereotypes exist for a reason. Most Wes Anderson fans tend to be intellectual, have some wit, feel misunderstood, and are eager to argue the merits of directors like Stanley Kubrick, Terrance Malick and more recently Denis Villeneuve. They love to watch films and hate watching movies. I can definitely appreciate a Wes Anderson fan cause they love to debate and challenge and sometimes that is exactly what I need with certain “Films.”
I will absolutely give credit to Anderson where it is due: he makes beautiful movies, that are exceptionally stylized, very creative camera work and are very fun to watch. I really like his movies. I think “The Grand Budapest Hotel” might have been his masterpiece. I feel that movie is leagues above all the other movies in his filmography. So I was very curious to see what film he would create to follow that up. That brings us to “Isle of Dogs.”
Watching this film it almost felt like Anderson regressed. In a way it just felt safe. It was weird, beautiful, clever enough but also kind of boring. Don’t get me wrong Anderson’s movies are miles ahead of most movies coming out (I am sure I will see Rampage at some point but I know I am not missing anything) and I will always gladly put money down for anything that he creates because no matter what it is going to be an exceptional well thought out piece of filmmaking. But with this film it feels like something he would have released before “The Grand Budapest Hotel.” It is as if he just went into his old bag of tricks and made his new Wes Anderson film and he did it with all his regular cast of characters. Though there was nothing really wrong with this film, it also was a little disappointing and makes me think has Wes peaked? I don’t believe he has. I honestly believe his next film will go in a direction that none of us see coming. In a way it has too cause I don’t want to not like him but if he continues to pull from the same bag his work could get stale and he could become a stereotype of himself and that is not what I want from a director of his caliber. I hope his next film challenges his audience and forces us to grow with him. I believe he will do it.
