Review of Moonrise Kingdom (2012) by Mike D — 24 Apr 2015

There are few directors out there like Wes Anderson. Each one of his films is unique, yet they all share a similar vibe that is threaded between them. In 'Moonrise Kingdom,' Anderson brings his signature deadpan quirkiness to a New England island where an orphaned, misfit "khaki scout" finds love with a disturbed, misunderstood young girl. As with most Anderson films, the cast of 'Kingdom' is full of a who's who in the industry, including memorable performances from Bruce Willis, Edward Norton, Frances McDormand, Bill Murray and Tilda Swinton, among others. In terms of the two stars of the film, Sam (Jared Gilman) and Suzy (Kara Hayward) both do respectable jobs, especially considering their ages. Their monotonous delivery of their lines is also pretty impressive, considering child actors are usually extremely energetic by nature.

Everything else about 'Kingdom' is what you'd expect from Anderson: an offbeat score, crazy cinematography and lots of frowns to go around. True, there's a depressed sentiment throughout 'Kingdom,' but the sarcasm and irony that also permeate the dialogue and the actions that happen throughout the movie. And yes, some of the nonsense that takes place is hard to ignore (including lightning strikes, exploding cabins and "dog murdering," but these are not out of character, all things considered. As for the humor, it's not the kind that you'd find in an Adam Sandler movie, but that's what makes it great, as there a lot of tongue-in-cheek references and intelligent, subtle jokes.

At it's conclusion, 'Moonrise Kingdom' could leave a bad taste in audiences' mouths, but that's likely because they are not fans of Anderson and his unorthodox style.