Same old Same old

Rating: 4/10 (8 April 2014)

Wes Anderson is undoubtedly one of the finest directors we have working today, and this is very much evident throughout the span of his latest film The Grand Budapest Hotel. His choice of adjusting the screen format, his color pallets and sleek cinematography are what save this movie from being a flop. Yes, it is great directing. Yes the performances, especially Ralph Fiennes, are top notch. This is a decent movie, but decent is where it stops. It doesn't have anything to separate itself from previous quirky and dark humor filled films that Wes Anderson has released, it doesn't have the heart from Moonrise Kingdom, the charisma of The Fantastic Mr. Fox, or the mystique from The Darjeeling Limited. Yes, every director may have their own styles and tweak it differently for each of their works, but Wes Anderson only adds some minor plot differences to his films to make them slightly "different," yet still far too similar. I have been fine with them in the past, but by The Grand Budapest Hotel, his fourth main entry, the goofy style becomes a little tedious and actually difficult to get through in some scenes. Many trivial things are presented as important matter in drawn out sequences, making it all the more difficult to watch. Yes, I am harshly bad mouthing this movie, but I did still find some enjoyment in watching the gorgeous film making and the once in while funny script, but come the third act, all the twists just become much too predictable, and ultimately unsatisfying. I hope Wes Anderson has something up his sleeve that can add variety into his collection, because my patience level for this is slowly declining. GRADE: C