Moonrise Kingdom (2012) - Wes Anderson's Whimsical Wonderland of a Movie!

Rating: 10/10 (6 August 2012)

Director Wes Anderson has been well-known for making films that were quite strange and whimsical, where the surroundings are colorful, the characters are dysfunctional, and the writing is believable. He has brought this wonderful gift of filmmaking in most of his films from "Rushmore", "The Royal Tenenbaums", to "Fantastic Mr. Fox". Now, Wes Anderson has finally given us his grandest masterpiece this year with "Moonrise Kingdom", which happens to be one of the most creative, magical, and one of the best movies of the year. Jared Gilman and Kara Hayward, two new young actors, both play two young lovers in a small New England town during the 1960s. Gilman plays an orphan who has attended a group of Khaki Scouts led by Edward Norton as Scout Master Ward, while Hayward plays a troubled young girl living with her parents, played respectively by Bill Murray and Frances McDormand. These two young lovers both decide to run away with each other, exploring a certain romance. Now, the Khaki scouts and the parents team up with police officer Captain Sharp, played by Bruce Willis, as they try to hunt down and find these two love-struck kids. Wes Anderson has totally knocked the ball out of the park with "Moonrise Kingdom". His directing is downright beautiful, since he actually cares about how a film really looks. His filmmaking is seen from almost the entire movie, as he brings his taste of wonder and vision from the sets, props, costumes, to music. In terms of performances, it's the two young actors, Gilman and Hayward, that carry this movie, sharing quite a wonderful and believable chemistry with one another. Although we have a few share of great performances from Edward Norton, Frances McDormand, Bill Murray, and Bruce Willis, the supporting cast is also rounded out by a couple of familiar faces from Tilda Swinton, Jason Schwartzman, Harvey Keitel, and Bob Balaban. It's a "movie wonderland" to watch these actors do their stuff. Aside from the goofy and whimsical comedy, to the magical art direction and costumes, "Moonrise Kingdom" is filled with a glorious use of cinematography that absolutely glows on screen, perfectly capturing every shot and frame in such a stylized manner. The script from Wes Anderson and Roman Coppola really shines, giving each cast member a chance to bring out the wonderful words of dialouge, that although found to be weird and strange, it pulls off easily. So, basically, "Moonrise Kingdom" is quite a flawless movie, from the acting, directing, writing, set design, costumes, music, cinematography, and tone. It's movie-making at it's finest. Wes Anderson seems to be one of the most creative directors in cinema history. He always knows what his movie should be, and he knows how he wants his story to be unique and different. Although strange and dysfunctional, all his movies carry the same gift of filmmaking, a creative touch and whimsical feel. "Moonrise Kingdom" is a perfect example of Wes Anderson's wonderful gift. This is a wonderful, imaginative, and exhilarating motion picture experience from start to finish. "Moonrise Kingdom", in my review, "a wonderful accomplishment, beautifully creative".