Blessed with all the traits, "Moonrise Kingdom" is a welcome entry into the Wes Anderson canon and another landmark film from him for my life.

Rating: 9/10 (26 June 2013)

I'm a huge fan of Wes Anderson. Back when I was getting into films The Royal Tenenbaums, which I initially mistook for a Dodgeball style frat pack film but I liked it anyway, has always been a consistent entry in my top list. Over the years, it's unfolded more as I've understood more about film. The Darjeeling Limited blew me away when I saw it on my 15th birthday, despite my family not liking it. As my first Anderson in the cinema, it resonated with me so deeply that it remains not far from it's initial #4 of all-time position just outside my top 10. Rushmore was a deeply relatable film for me in Max Fisher's character and although I wasn't a big fan the first time, it's blossomed to becoming a masterpiece. I had a similar reaction to The Life Aquatic With Steve Zissou, wherein I thought it was great but too messy to be a favourite, but it was only recently where the film now makes me cry like a baby. Fantastic Mr. Fox was always my favourite Roald Dahl book so I was delighted when Anderson adapted it and he lived up to the promise. It's not as perfect as the other films but it's just as watchable.
So when I heard about Moonrise Kingdom, it's very difficult to not get my expectations too high. Despite The Darjeeling Limited and Fantastic Mr. Fox being immediately likable, all his other most rewarding films had to unfold for me to be favourites. But as all those films spookily echo landmarks in my life, Moonrise Kingdom was already destined to do so as well. It was the first film I saw in person with my long-distance girlfriend and the day after our first kiss. Considering the plot of Moonrise and how it's dedicated to Anderson's own girlfriend, it's a film that already means a lot to me. It just has to. This is a very late review, by the way, I saw this in June and I've struggled to review it ever since. I want to review everything from 2012 before the Oscars hence why I'm doing it today on my third viewing. Moonrise Kingdom has all the traits of a Wes Anderson film. Meticulous production design and costume design, a old school mixed-tape soundtrack, family troubles, lovers with obstacles and a wonderful quirky sense of humour. As ever, these are always a delight to watch.
But in essence, it's very different to his other films. While those films were often the aftermath of a rich tragic backstory, Moonrise Kingdom's backstory is deliberately cut short, as if a future film will be consequential of the events of this film. While Margot and Richie Tenenbaum ran away to the library in their youth, this is a beautiful insight into the childlike yet mature nature of his characters. It feels like the animated style of Fantastic Mr. Fox has fed into how Anderson now approaches his films. Moonrise Kingdom has a very cartoon-like nature, not only in the laboured details wherein every tree feels laid out specifically for this film but in actual cartoon intercuts used for dramatic effect - such as the flash of scissors and arrows in the fight scene, stop motion map intercuts and the very clear model where the dam breaks. As with The Life Aquatic, there's an even more prominent use of the Fellini-esque set pieces and props as the camera scans wide canvases to compromise for the lack of wide lenses. The choice of 16mm film here balances out the feeling of authenticity even if it sacrifices richness in image.
From the moment I saw the poster and plot it was clear that this is going to be one of Anderson's most distinct love letters to one of his favourite periods in cinema history - the French new wave. With its 1965 setting and lovers-by-the-beach plot, it's specifically influenced by Pierrot Le Fou, Godard's masterpiece. The pop art and postmodernism has always been a very obvious influence on Anderson's style, but here it's approached almost directly (there's a moment with blood on scissors). Everything about the film captures that 60s essence beautifully without being needlessly nostalgic. Young actors Kara Hayward and Jared Gilman seem born to be in a Wes Anderson film and outshine their star-studded supporting cast - though Edward Norton seems born for this world too. However, some of the film's crucial moments are quite clunky in execution, such as how Sam and Suzy met, their first fight, Sam getting struck by lightning and the film's bizarre climax. Perhaps they are deliberately awkward but fortunately, it's slowly unfolding with more viewings. The cycle begins again with The Grand Budapest Hotel, which already looks like a masterpiece.
9/10