If you have not yet ventured out to see Moonrise Kingdom, or for some reason you’ve decided to give your hard earned money to ‘Magic Mike’ ‘MIB3’ or some other crap, do yourself a favor and see a film worth spending money on.
Wes Anderson is in my opinion in a league occupied by very few directors in the entire history of filmmaking.
He doesn’t do 2′, 3’s or 4’s, instead he treats his audience to a brand new quirky experience each release, even if a lot of the actors are the same in each film.
Like Bill Murray, I haven’t seen Bottle Rocket (okay not true, I just want to forget it because I didn’t like it) but ‘The Royal Tenenbaums’ is in my top ten movie list ‘The Life Aquatic’ in my list of twenty-five and ‘Rushmore’ with it’s endless amount of classic quotes, in my top fifty. Moonrise Kingdom, Anderson’s latest and most definitely greatest has shot up into my top five, with greats like Woody Allen and Clint Eastwood.
Simply put, Moonrise Kingdom is a masterpiece. It’s visual styling, editing pace, dialog and cast are more than enough to support it’s beautiful story, but the two main characters, ‘Sam Shakusky’ and ‘Suzy Bishop’ are astoundingly remarkable, and bring a life to the story few could have possibly achieved. There are moments that could be a bit unsettling for any adult not wishing to see children in, or acting out adults situations (me). But these two child actors are so compelling and personable that it is easy to get past it and except it as a part of the story, a beautiful part, a part we’ve all lived in our own young lives.
I have become very picky about what movie I’m going to give my precious little income to, I have been burned time after time in the last two years. If you feel the way I do, and don’t need things to blow up, guys in tights or another incredibly unfunny comedy starring the same guys from a five year old movie that was funnier than most at the time, take my advice and see Moonrise Kingdom, it’s what movie making and storytelling are supposed to be. It’s an experience that will stay with you, happily, like “A Charlie Brown Christmas”.