An exquisitely elegant exercise in nothing ...

Rating: 7/10 (6 April 2013)

Interestingly enough, it is rather hard to find those capable of being objective towards Wes Anderson. A small but vocal elitist minority is usually unreservedly ecstatic about his movies while the silent majority either has not heard much about them or has readily dismissed them as another pretentiously artistic nonsense.
Among many things I find appealing about "Moonrise Kingdom" is its overall exquisiteness and elegance – from the impeccable style, to the delicate taste, to the perfection in every small detail.
In addition, after watching the movie it becomes pretty obvious that Wes Anderson is a man of a sophisticated taste and a great erudition. I cannot help but admire a director capable of seamlessly and entertainingly wowing into the fabric of the movie references to Benjamin Britten, Henry Purcell as well as to all the four groups of orchestra instruments.
And yet, despite all these indisputable fine qualities, "Moonrise Kingdom" lacks something critically important, something that turns it into an exquisitely elegant exercise in nothing instead of a great movie.
I had spent a long time trying to find a good definition for that elusive quality that I believed "Moonrise Kingdom" was lacking until I stumbled upon a great quotation by Edgar Allan Poe: "Words have no power to impress the mind without the exquisite horror of their reality."
Not only "Moonrise Kingdom" is not grounded in the reality, but it is also purposely disconnected from it and decidedly artificial. The imaginary world of "Moonrise Kingdom" barely scratches the surface of the vastly complex problems it deceptively pretends to tackle - .
Because of that, despite all its admirable perfection, "Moonrise Kingdom" still remains an empty, shallow, and ultimately fruitless, although enjoyable movie.
And, of course, when I mention shallowness I am not referring to the kind of outrageously glaring shallowness a-la formulaic "Super 8" (J.J. Abrams) and some other movies directed or produced by Steven Spielberg himself or by his multiple followers and epigones.
The shallowness of "Moonrise Kingdom" is quite subtler. With all the enjoyment this beautifully splendid film brings, its lack of internal purpose and full-blooded connection to reality leaves us unsatisfied and disappointed at the end, or, as Edgar Allan Poe wrote, "fails to impress our mind".
If the admittedly rich content of the movie were somehow distilled to reveal its critical substance, to uncover its heart, all that we would find would be superficial niceties like great shots, beautiful scenery, smooth and smart but lifeless dialogues, imaginative scene sets, but nothing more substantial than that – no real story, no real purpose, nothing that would touch our heart or engage our mind.
I already foresee some objections indicating that Wes Anderson is some sort of a uniquely creative genius with an unconventional vision that should not be a subject to common judgment.
I am wondering, however, what a true value of that supposedly unique vision is if the only fruit it bears is a well-disguised nothing in a colorful packaging so enticing for the small group of the divorced from reality intellectuals.
There are many great directors with a unique vision. Their masterpieces are complex, multidimensional, and inexpressibly deep interpretations of the real world around us.
Their movies provoke in us agonizing thoughts, make us strongly empathize with the characters, and ultimately leave us horrified by the yawning chasm of the human existence, miraculously grasped by a genius.
"Moonrise Kingdom" does not possess any of that. Its exceptionally well though-out, brilliantly directed story with beautiful music unfortunately represents a mere shell for an improbable and superficial fairy tale.
What the movie can pride itself on, however, is the all-star cast featuring Bill Murray, Frances McDormand, Edward Norton, Tilda Swinton and Bruce Willis in an uncharacteristic, but surprisingly good performance.
Among the other noteworthy performances in the film are the cute teenage "lovebirds" Sam Shakusky played by Jared Gilman and Suzy Bishop played by Kara Hayward Their believable acting and good screen chemistry seem to be vastly superior to those of the overall unconvincing duo (Asa Butterfield and Chloë Grace Moretz) from the Martin Scorsese's bland "Hugo".
"Moonrise Kingdom" is a perfectly made, charming niche movie meant to be slowly savored by the relatively small group of genre enthusiasts. What prevents it from becoming a truly great movie is being not moving enough to speak to our hearts and not thought-provoking enough to occupy our minds.
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