Review of Isle of Dogs (2018) by Sal A — 28 Mar 2018

I liked Isle of Dogs. I've either enjoyed, or loved (Rushmore, Grand Budapest, and Fantastic Mister Fox), everything Wes Anderson has done. I would say that this is one of his lesser films. It looks great, and clearly loves it's muses, but is slow (especially in act two) and doesn't fully land at the end.

While the level of craft and attention to detail in the design of the 'same but different' Japan and the beautifully rendered world, charmingly realized dogs are there, the human characters are two dimensional and ultimately let the film down.

It's a movie that clearly has its heart in Japan, and Dogs, and falls short of being great because it's not nearly as interested in the human character (s) it tries to breathe life into.

But if you're a lover of Dogs, and/or Japan, or Wes Anderson, I think you'll like this film too.