Isle of Dogs (2018)
Wes Anderson shocked and impressed many in 2009 when he released his first animated feature Fantastic Mr. Fox. With a smart screenplay, lovely performances, and breathtaking visuals, Fantastic Mr. Fox not only stood out as one of Anderson's best but also a defining film in his filmography that clearly affected every film to come from the filmmaker afterward. After the releases of Moonrise Kingdom and The Grand Budapest Hotel took Anderson's career to new highs and continued to grow the director's unique style, of course, there was an incredible amount of excitement when it was announced that Anderson would be returning to the animated space with 2018's Isle of Dogs. Taking place in a futuristic Japanese city named Megasaki, he city's authoritarian mayor, Kenji Kobayashi (Kunichi Nomura) takes action against dogs blaming them for the rise in disease and bans all of them to a nearby island covered with trash which gains the nickname the Isle of Dogs. As Mayor's nephew and ward Atari (Koyu Rankin) travels to the island looking for his dog Spots (Liev Schreiber), a small group of people in the city take rise against the Mayor as they question his true intentions and the legitimacy of the claims he is making.
Being a Wes Anderson film, of course the immediate thing to stand out is the visual style. Despite not having the same overall iconic color pallet and visual design as films like Fantastic Mr. Fox and The Grand Budapest Hotel, Isle of Dogs has so many smaller scenes of color and atmosphere that brings this world to life. From the bright city of Megasaki at night to the sun setting on Trash Island turning the characters into shadows against the neon orange sunset, this is a movie that not only has standout scenes when it comes to visual design but also an overall distinct visual style. Much more than Fantastic Mr. Fox, Isle of Dogs takes a realistic approach at portraying its world which carries a unique Japanese influence in nearly every scene which helps the movie stand out from other films of the type. With this portrayal of Japan though also comes a conversation on morals and cultural appropriation which is something that Wes Anderson has struggled with over his career. Where this is not a conversation that will be fully discussed in this review and there clearly is enough to enjoy the film past this, it is an important thing to be aware of and articles such as the ones you can find here and here do a wonderful job exploring these issues and should not be ignored just because there are other positives within the film.
The other main thing which normally stands out in Wes Anderson projects is the screenplay which is no different in Isle of Dogs. Not only is there the expected witty dialogue and character dynamics but there is also a larger sense of legitimate charm and likeability to the film itself. Isle of Dogs is a film that is simply legitimately enjoyable and fun to experience. Even with the darker moments and depth that the film does carry, there is something inexplicably genuine about the characters and world that sucks the audience in and never lets go. Some of this praise has to go to the acting in the film which should come as no surprise as per usual for a Wes Anderson project, Isle of Dogs has a truly ensemble cast. With voice performances from the likes of Bryan Cranston, Edward Norton, Jeff Goldblum, Greta Gerwig, Frances McDormand, and Scarlett Johansson, of course the characters would quickly find their own identities and personality bringing them to life past just being animated characters.
The other main thing which normally stands out in Wes Anderson projects is the screenplay which is no different in Isle of Dogs. Not only is there the expected witty dialogue and character dynamics but there is also a larger sense of legitimate charm and likeability to the film itself. Isle of Dogs is a film that is simply legitimately enjoyable and fun to experience. Even with the darker moments and depth that the film does carry, there is something inexplicably genuine about the characters and world that sucks the audience in and never lets go. Some of this praise has to go to the acting in the film which should come as no surprise as per usual for a Wes Anderson project, Isle of Dogs has a truly ensemble cast. With voice performances from the likes of Bryan Cranston, Edward Norton, Jeff Goldblum, Greta Gerwig, Frances McDormand, and Scarlett Johansson, of course the characters would quickly find their own identities and personality bringing them to life past just being animated characters.
Part of this unique charm also is present in the world. As mentioned, the cinematography is fantastic but so is the animation itself. Stop Motion animation is always an accomplishment and Isle of Dogs is never a film to cut corners because of difficulty. Whether it is a large set-piece or an intricate scene like the preparation of sushi, the animation here even surpasses that of Fantastic Mr. Fox and truly is just incredible to watch. The other major technical element of the film to really stand out would be the Academy Award-nominated score from Alexandre Desplat. Where so many composers create their own unique style which they craft and perfect, Desplat continually chooses unique sounding projects which push him and stand out as completely unique compared to other works in his filmography. With a clear Japanese influence, the soundtrack for the film mixes Desplat's score with unique flairs of Taiko Drumming from the likes of Kaoru Watanabe while perfectly adding already used songs such as "I Won't Hurt You" from The West Coast Pop Art Experimental Band. The soundtrack is yet another beautifully curated element of the film that brings it to life with a layered identity and soul.
With all these elements coming together into a wonderfully crafted final product, Isle of Dogs has to be one of the most underrated films from Wes Anderson's entire filmography. Where it might not reach the same depth or impact as films like The Royal Tenenbaums or Fantastic Mr. Fox, the film is beyond charming and does carry enough of a weight to it. There are absolutely some aspects of the plot and development of the film that deserves to be criticized and explored when it comes to cultural appropriation and various topics such as it, but where that conversation deserves to be kept in mind the film also clearly has good intentions and is an enjoyable experience regardless.
With all these elements coming together into a wonderfully crafted final product, Isle of Dogs has to be one of the most underrated films from Wes Anderson's entire filmography. Where it might not reach the same depth or impact as films like The Royal Tenenbaums or Fantastic Mr. Fox, the film is beyond charming and does carry enough of a weight to it. There are absolutely some aspects of the plot and development of the film that deserves to be criticized and explored when it comes to cultural appropriation and various topics such as it, but where that conversation deserves to be kept in mind the film also clearly has good intentions and is an enjoyable experience regardless.