Review of Isle of Dogs (2018) by Samichsupernova — 09 Apr 2018

"Isle of Dogs" is another artistically successful Wes Anderson production. It's a bit darker and more dramatic than I expected, but no less entertaining, and it's got standout moments of beauty and charm that will stick with me. It's also a fantastic showcase for the stunning medium of stop-motion animation.

Bryan Cranston nails the key vocal performance as Chief, the stray dog who sticks out of the pack of alphas that hold sway over Trash Island. The other dogs have highlights and flesh out the world, but Cranston, who is at war with himself, is radiant, and almost singlehandedly sells the whole picture. Even though the premise of "Isle of Dogs" is so absurd, the story is rich in character moments and symbolism, and is structured like an epic. The point-of-view is more often than not from the dogs' eyes and ears, with much of the Japanese being untranslated, an interesting artistic choice that may come off as inspired to some and cloying to others, especially since the human element plays a rather large part in the plot.

While Anderson has plenty of fun here with dog jokes and puns, he also manages to devote time to examining the age-old give-take relationship between humans and dogs, social and environmental issues, the increasing detritus and forgotten sins of the modern age (the price we pay for "progress"), the influence of media and the elite, and the pursuit of the higher self, all in the span of an hour and forty minutes.

As Anderson yanks on heartstrings with close-ups of tear-filled human and dog eyes and emotionally rich scenes of great inter-species bonding and tribulation, he also pays homage to the old Japanese masters - Kurosawa, Mizoguchi, and Ozu are all referenced with gorgeous mise-en-scene, character and set design, story choices, and complex framing and tracking shots.

Pay no heed to the "professional" critics crying "cultural appropriation". They are going out of their way to find fault here. I see nothing offensive in this intricate portrayal of a fictional, alternate-universe Japanese city in all of its beauty and complexity. This is a story that transcends cultural and linguistic boundaries and appeals to all dog lovers, even as it slyly comments on the elaborate fictions that we humans love to craft and live by. I'm really not sure how it will play to kids, though.

Although "Isle of Dogs" wasn't the manic comedy I was expecting, and there are definitely pacing issues and missed opportunities, it really spoke to me in a way few films do these days, and in a manner and style that closely evokes Japanese cinema from the bygone eras of the 50s and 60s as much as it does the rest of Anderson's often-stellar oeuvre. I'm definitely seeing this one again.