Isle of Dogs

So I just saw Wes Anderson's Isle of Dogs and it was awesome. At this point in time, saying that a Wes Anderson is going to be good is like saying the All-Blacks are going to win at rugby, of course it's going to happen. Needless to say, if you liked Fantastic Mr Fox, you'll more than likely like this film. The story while unique, is predictable. The only reason why this film doesn't become a run of the mill, is the presentation, execution and the performances. The animation is impeccable and stylised in a such a way that you want to take in every second, of every frame on the screen. Coupled with Wes Anderson's trademark symmetrical camera framing, each frame could be made into a picture and be put into an art museum. The performances are done by Wes Anderson alumni such as Jeff Goldblum, Bill Murray and Bryan Cranston; but since the film is set in Japan, it only made sense to have Japanese actors. While I don't know that many, it has one of my personal favourites Ken Watanabe (Last Samurai, Inception, Batman Begins). It also makes sense to have the Japanese characters speak Japanese, but this is one aspect where the film doesn't work. In traditional film making, you would have subtitles for foreign languages. Wes Anderson does try to go the extra mile with this concept, but I don't feel it works. Instead of subtitles, he uses other methods of translation, say it be a foreign exchange student, an interpreter or another character. While I am all about having new things in film making, it does hurt when these things don't work. The execution of the film is what makes it more interesting. With editing about elements that would be jarring in any other film, but adds to the charm and character development. If you want to have a fun, quirky and often an emotional time, watch this film.

I am giving this a 7/10