Review of Isle of Dogs (2018) by Davrosdaleks1 — 14 Apr 2018

Yeah, Wes Anderson's style and character beats tend to repeat in his films, but what keeps me usually liking them is that he always tries a different subject matter or format, keeping things fresh. Plus, he still seems to be honing his craft and abilities. Isle of Dogs, in which all the dogs in a Japanese city in the near future are sent to a garbage dump island by a corrupt, dog-hating mayor when a disease breaks out, is his most impressive movie to date.

Wes Anderson's films have always been visually arresting, but this one manages to beat all the others. The stop-motion format allows Anderson to control every angle, every visual in this detailed, fascinating-looking world that unfolds like a storybook come to life. Yeah, the human characters aren't the most polished-looking of stop-motion characters, but the dogss movement, including the wind in their hair, is really fluid. The story contains Anderson's traditional quirky, deadpan wittiness at full blast. The story is pretty inventive, there are even robot dogs!, while ultimately telling a heartwarming tale about loyalty to man's best friend. The ending is a bit rushed and resolved a little too easily if you ask me, though.

Now if you don't like Wes Anderson in general than this won't be the film to change your mind. (He really doubles down on his style here.) But if you like something different from the usual film, than this is for you.