Isle of Dogs

I decided to post this earlier in the week as I actually saw Isle of Dogs last week.

If you've never seen a Wes Anderson, this is a good place to start (any is a good place to start actually). Isle of Dogs is just a fun movie to watch, dog or cat person alike. Even the name is creative (say it fast). I will state that I have a bias towards Wes Anderson, I love all of his movies. This review will be inherently bias, but it really is a great movie. If you need proof, my dad only likes action filled live-action movies, and he really enjoyed this movie.

Plot
Isle of Dogs has a... unique background. Just the introduction alone is strange, and the way it informs the audience of the setting is far from normal. In general; there are cat people and dog people that have ruled the government. A specific dog only disease plagues the city and the government is considering deporting the infected animals. In all of this, a boy is looking for his lost dog.

The plot has several twists and turns, a few of them actually surprising. It was put together very well, and the plot throttles in speed. It's like a roller coaster, but has parts where you can kind of sit and relax for a bit. Then you suddenly continue screaming as you enter another drop.

Characters
A roster of veterans, like most Wes Anderson movies, keeps this film to its core great. The main dogs; Chief, Rex, King, Boss, and Duke are played by Bryan Cranston, Edward Norton, Bob Balaban, Bill Murray, and Jeff Goldblum. Scarlett Johansson, Tilda Swinton, and Ken Watanabe, among others, are also featured in this movie. They really bring to life the dry, subtle humor that overwhelms Isle of Dogs.

Scenery
The lord of symmetry Wes Anderson goes overboard with the scenery in Isle of Dogs. In case you didn't know, Wes Anderson is notorious for making shots symmetrical in appearance. However, in his live-action movies, real life can only be so even. This movie is all stop motion, so Anderson can control the placement of literally everything. Him evening the visual scale shows so well in Isle of Dogs.

Alongside the symmetry, the stop motion is fantastic as well. There is so much detail in this movie it's almost impractical. Bits of dog hair flows with the wind, subtle movements of the environment when interacting with it, the list goes on. What is even more creative is that when a scene would be too intense to film via stop motion, they use alternatives. But the alternatives are well placed, and very practical when used. It is just a beautiful film to watch. Who knew a island of garbage could be so pretty?

Overall, Isle of Dogs, filled with all of its subtle humor, strange plot, wacky characters, and charming atmosphere brings together a film that separates itself in such a unique way. I would recommend you take a seat and watch Isle of Dogs no matter your age or preference in films.

Thanks for reading. I also wanted to let you guys know that I created a quick podcast series explaining what I look for when I critique movies. You can check it out here or below. I'll be back next week with a classic!