Movie Review: "Moonrise Kingdom"
(l to r.) Newcomers Kara Hayward as Suzy and Jared Gilman as Sam in Wes Anderson’s MOONRISE KINGDOM, a Focus Features release.
By Spencer Pratt
May 24, 2012 10:52 p.m.
Wes Anderson’s signature film style is a John Hancock of the cinematic variety. Simply put, “Moonrise Kingdom” couldn’t be more Wes Anderson than the man himself.
The film takes place in 1965 on an island off the coast of New England. Newcomer Jared Gilman plays Sam Shakusky, an adolescent MacGyver of sorts with a plethora of useful (but mostly useless) scout knowledge. His troubled lover is Suzy Bishop, played by Kara Hayward, whose thick mascara and downturned lips seem to pay homage to a character in Anderson’s previous work ““ the equally misunderstood Margot Tenenbaum.
In addition to Bill Murray and Jason Schwartzman (who famously delivered deadpan humor in the director’s past films), Edward Norton, Harvey Keitel, Tilda Swinton and Bruce Willis deliver laudable performances.
The film’s witty and subtle highbrow humor is as established as its cast. A subtle commentary on social welfare can be found in Tilda Swinton’s character as an uncompassionate governmental employee, whose name is, simply, “Social Services.”
Shakusky and Bishop’s romance begins with letter exchanges and crayon-scribbled drawings. In honest belief that they have found their soulmates, the two escape from their respective holdings. For Shakusky, it’s a Khaki Scout camp led by the cigarette-smoking Scout Master Ward (Norton), and for Bishop, it’s a beautiful New England home that overlooks the ocean.
The rest of the film is crafted around the couple’s love narrative and the parent-led search party that operates in mob-like fashion. “Moonrise Kingdom” is largely a film about adolescence, and succeeds because it meshes adult themes with childish innocence.
As usual, Anderson’s directorial virtuosity manifests itself in the carefully constructed mise-en-scene. Each scene seems to be a fashion showcase, and the colors are so unified that the film reel could be its own children’s book.
Perhaps where “Moonrise Kingdom” becomes cumbersome is in its overly graceful cinematography. The opening sequence has the camera performing a very complex and highly choreographed dance. For die-hard advocates of the director’s previous films (he really does have a cult following), it’s pretty clear that Wes Anderson is showing off. But for first-time inductees to his work, it’s menacingly impressive.
The soundtrack is as much of an artistic commodity as the film itself. Shakusky’s entrance into the film is accompanied by Hank Williams’ “Kaw-Liga,” which couldn’t be more appropriate ““ it exudes humor and images of the Western outlaw. The rest of the score has original tracks by Alexandre Desplat, the famed French film composer.
This is definitely Anderson’s most produced film, as there is no shortage of special effects that elicit thrill and anxiety. The turn toward cinematic sensationalism, though minor, was the only stylistic element that was uncharacteristic of the filmmaker. Yet change usually reflects progress, and the innovation did not detract from enjoyment of the film.
The skeleton of “Moonrise Kingdom” is not drastically different than any of Anderson’s previous films. Youth in revolt, broken families and forbidden romances exist as much in this film as they have in “Bottle Rocket,” “Rushmore” or “The Darjeeling Limited.” Oddly enough, these repetitive themes do not leave audiences rolling their eyes or yawning with exhaustion.
In fact, viewers anticipate Anderson’s films because of his creative versatility with this thematic template. And for newcomers, the playful romance of young love coupled with dark comedy elicits emotions that are enjoyable in their odd juxtaposition.
““ Spencer Pratt
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