Empire's Moonrise Kingdom Movie Review

Moonrise Kingdom
The Lost Boy Scout

Plot
1965, New England. Scout Master Ward (Norton) wakes to find his peaceful camp thrown into chaos by the disappearance of eccentric Khaki Scout Sam (Gilman). Teaming with lovelorn local sheriff Captain Sharp (Willis), Ward discovers the youngster may have absconded with Suzy (Hayward), daughter of world-weary lawyers Mr. and Mrs. Bishop (Murray and McDormand).

Review

Browse more images »

Anderson-ian? Anderson-esque? People often opt for the even-less wieldy “Wes Anderson-y”. When Richard Ayoade’s feature debut, Submarine, was bracketed thus, it was high but exclusive praise: “It’s, I don’t know... It was very Wes Anderson-y.” There’s something about the world the Houston-born, Austin-educated writer/director creates: a considered vibrancy to it that feels very designed but yet real, affected but touching. He was the perfect filmmaker for Fantastic Mr. Fox. He could make a kick-ass Charlie Brown. Here he mines the material of his own mind — along with Roman Coppola’s — for a story about first love, tender regret, coming of age and second chances.

Nostalgia is, it seems, just as good as it used to be: this is another American movie to make you long for an upbringing you never had — just as Adventureland had you embracing theme park peccadilloes and Dazed And Confused made you think the ’70s were in fact worthwhile.

It says something about Anderson’s astute taste and delivery that his seventh feature evokes both the pop- and pot-laced reflections of that masterpiece by fellow Texan Richard Linklater and the more hard-faced ruminations on youth in François Truffaut’s The 400 Blows. You watch Anderson’s films and feel like you should know more about European and American cinema, but his work never feels like it’s trying hard to impress. It’s made by someone as at ease reading Proust as watching North By Northwest, someone whose work lingers in the mid-Atlantic, with a European spirit and an American landscape: call it Andersonland. Sometimes it can feel a tad chilly (The Royal Tenenbaums), sometimes too breezy (The Darjeeling Limited), but when you’re acclimatised, few places can feel as warm, beautiful and oddly hospitable.

Though considerably lower in both budget and stop-motion jaguar sharks, Moonrise Kingdom feels like a companion-piece to The Life Aquatic With Steve Zissou: sharing not just Bill Murray (of course), but a sense of sorrow over roads not taken and love left to neglect. Though the runaway relationship is at its heart, it works because the body is the mouldy marriage of the Bishops (Murray and Frances McDormand) and the sad-sack soul of the sheriff. Bruce Willis — for whom the term irascible describes not so much a temperament as a career — is understated and touching as the local law-enforcer, living his life of quiet desperation and seeing something in himself kindled by the spark of young love.

Murray and McDormand have an inherent warmth that serves as the echo of happier times in their now stricken relationship, which would otherwise be a little lightly sketched. There’s also a lovely, if upsetting, truth in seeing people try to raise children — Suzy (Kara Hayward) discovers her mother’s copy of Coping With The Very Troubled Child — when you realise you don’t really have a bloody clue what to do with them, other than strive to make sure they don’t turn out like you. What is appealing here is innocence and confidence, whether from the children or even the initially rather clueless kind of Edward Norton’s Scout leader, whose guilelessness appears to be mocked but is eventually admired. Certainty is perhaps the thing we miss most from being young — because you are never so certain as when you don’t know how wrong you can be. That’s where the love between Sam (Jared Gilman) and Suzy is so beguiling. It’s insane to run away together to a cove and imagine you’ll never be found by the parents you wish you didn’t have or will replace the ones you have lost with this new love. But it’s a fairy tale they — and we — want to believe.

Eventually, the story’s resolution feels a little pat, after the slightly forced drama of the third act (Tilda Swinton is great as the cruel Social Services, but a rather late-arriving witch-figure in this fantasy land). But it doesn’t matter, because what Anderson is selling isn’t drama, it’s hope. This is a delightful film of innocence lost and regained — with superb turns from the newly discovered leads. Charming, daft, bright and joyful. Very — yes, okay — Wes Anderson-y.

Verdict

Reviewed by Nev Pierce

Write Your Review
To write your review please login or register.

Your Reviews

Average user rating for Moonrise Kingdom

Moonrise Kingdom
Moonrise Kingdom is a consistent pleasure. Hilarious as well as heart felting, it is sweeter than a candy. It evokes the memories of our childhood loves as well as those summer holidays with a magical sense - a true gem !! Highly Recommended !! ... More


Posted by ajm1991 at 05:46, 03 November 2012 \| Report This Post



RE: Brilliant as usual
L: lola_re Was anyone else really impressed by the soundtrack? I heard so much music in that film that I can't imagine hearing anywhere else, like this --> Cromwellote] Yep. The music was well matched with the qwerkyness of the movie. Must check it (soundtrack) out some time. ... More

Posted by OPEN YOUR EYES at 13:11, 02 November 2012 \| Report This Post



RE: Brilliant as usual
Was anyone else really impressed by the soundtrack? I heard so much music in that film that I can't imagine hearing anywhere else, like this --> Cromwell ... More

Posted by lola_re at 11:51, 02 November 2012 \| Report This Post



Brilliant as usual
So Willis finally joins the Anderson gang and he is the standout performance in Anderson's latest eccentric and brilliant film. Bigger in scope than his previous films, flawless production design, art direction and great performances all around from the ensemble cast. This is Wes Anderson's most ambitious work yet. Although I found his last film 'Fantastic Mr Fox' (which was close to perfect) wittier and more aesthetically pleasing. ... More


Posted by atom_band at 15:16, 30 October 2012 \| Report This Post



RE:
Just seen it and it is one of Andersons better films or,arguably,his best. It had the usual qwerkyness but I felt this time that it was slightly more grounded and wasn't trying to be over the top or garish. The acting was great,especially from Bruce Willis who I'd like to see do more similar roles other than the anti hero characters he's played throughout his career. The pacing was perfect,the humour and wit was executed with precision and visually it portrayed that classic Anderson style... More

Posted by OPEN YOUR EYES at 22:33, 06 October 2012 \| Report This Post




Just watched Moonrise Kingdom. Great little movie, really enjoyable with a brilliant and pretty powerful use of music to compliment the amazing looking images in the film (it's a Wes Anderson movie so that's to be expected). Great performances too, especially enjoyed Bruce Willis in his role. Very funny and charming. Really enjoyed it. ... More


Posted by Coyleone at 00:32, 02 October 2012 \| Report This Post



Moonrise Kingdom
Moonrise Kingdom is the 7th feature film by American film-maker Wes Anderson and tells the story of a boy scout and his experiences of first love. The main criticism usually levelled at Anderson's films is their lack of emotional engagement e.g. too kooky, too quirky etc. Being only an Anderson novice myself (my only previous viewing being 2004's The Life Aquatic with Steve Zissou), I've not taken the time time to judge his work accordingly. Based on his latest effort, as much I don't want... More


Posted by Biggus at 00:27, 01 October 2012 \| Report This Post



RE:
Great film for Anderson fans,not for non-believers.I loved it! ... More

Posted by TragicRomantic at 06:20, 07 July 2012 \| Report This Post




The vintage cinematic techniques used in this film create an authentic charm to it. Not only this but acts as a form of escapism for the audience; I personally forgot about everything when watching this film. However, the opening sequence didn't match up to the rest as i believed it improved as it progressed through the film. Oh and who can forget the random comedy! ... More


Posted by courtneyross123 at 17:53, 02 July 2012 \| Report This Post



RE: Charming
I agree with mos of you, this is not a film for everyone, but if you're into auteur approaches of reality, this is a film for you. For me it was sending out rare messages of innocence and true, young love, but I write it better over here: Enjoy! Edit - the site doesn't allow advertising of personal sites in posts. You're welcome to review the film here or post a link in your sig. But please don't refer to it within posts or try to direct users off-site. ... More

Posted by estelle at 09:51, 21 June 2012 \| Report This Post



RE: Charming
As he hits the magic number of seven in terms of his directorial career (as well as a short film), you ought to know the mechanics of a Wes Anderson film. Although he is often criticised for being smug and a bit clever-clever, Anderson beautifully blends his dry humour with a fable narrative, along with a killer soundtrack, with works such as Rushmore and The Royal Tenenbaums. Following his strange and perhaps adult-centric adaptation of Fantastic Mr. Fox, the director returns to live-action wi... More


Posted by R W at 17:55, 12 June 2012 \| Report This Post



RE: Charming
Yep. I liked this. Exactly what you would expect from Wes Anderson. It's a funny, charming, whimsical film, and provides many many moments of real originality and wit. In particular, his talent for good old fashioned storytelling is one of his strengths. There's a scene where Anderson seems to abandon the realistic special effect for something much more theatrical, proving that it isn't what you see, but what you feel that matters. Film-school stuff. Go see. ... More

Posted by jrewing1000 at 19:42, 09 June 2012 \| Report This Post



Charming
Beautifully disarming movie. Never too long to wait for the next chuckle either. Loved it. Great review Empire. ... More


Posted by sephiroth7 at 08:41, 08 June 2012 \| Report This Post



Charming if very leftfield
OK - Submarine slightly wins on the Wes Anderson- ometer but the themes are similar, two young people who find (a strange type of) love despite their less than lovely backgrounds. The whole film is obviously set in the 60s and seems to have a feel of almost self indulgent nostalgia about the whole era. Scout leaers may baulk at the film (as the pack leaders are horrifically imcompetent compared to todays ream of risk assessment ethos.) Although no doubt filmed in the spirit of innocence, t... More


Posted by filmsunlimited at 10:31, 07 June 2012 \| Report This Post



‘Moonrise Kingdom’ is a charming look at two children’s romantic adventure
Wes Anderson has made some truly amazing films. Films and that are funny and tragic, emotional and light-hearted, depressing and life-amirming, all at the same time. ‘Rushmore’ and ‘The Royal Tenenbaums’ in particular contain important morals about relationships and wasting your life attempting to complete trivial tasks, and this film follows in their footsteps as one of his superior pictures. The film begins with 13-year old Susie going about her ‘daily routineR... More


Posted by luccewada at 12:56, 06 June 2012 \| Report This Post



RE: Moonrise Kingdom
It's interesting that in following an adaptation of a celebrated children's book that was anything but a film for kids (despite the presence of stop-motion animals scoffing vast quantities of food), Wes Anderson has ironically created something that in many ways could be considered his closest thing to a children's film - all being with his obligatory stylisation, musing over fairly non-childlike interests(the records of Francoise Hardy) & his trademark offbeat tone. The reason being that the f... More

Posted by Qwerty Norris at 15:38, 03 June 2012 \| Report This Post



RE: Moonrise Kingdom
We went yesterday, late afternoon and the screen was probably about a quarter full. This is a bit of a shame as this is a really good, entertaining film. All the performances are good, and the young leads were excellent. I guess not enough explosions to draw in the multiplex crowd. ... More

Posted by GCH at 20:53, 31 May 2012 \| Report This Post



A return to live action genius
Like most of you are saying, I found it very sad sitting in the cinema with my friend, and us two being the only people there in a large Empire cinema. It's these type of beautifully innovative films that need support because this is art. Wes continues using his auteur style to his strength and captures the innocence and adventure of youth whilst pulling at the heartstrings and hitting the funny bone. Good performances, simple script, beautifully shot. Wes Anderson will always be a direct... More


Posted by danfacey711 at 19:16, 30 May 2012 \| Report This Post



RE:
Absolutely fantastic. This is very much a Wed Anderson movie. As others have said elsewhere, if you have a problem with his way of telling a story this film will do nothing for you, but if you're a fan, this is Wes doing what he does best. I adore his use of colour, composition, and camera movement; his movies are always a joy to look at. The film is full of the whimsy and idiosyncrasy that I've come to expect from his films, and I left the viewing a happy bunny indeed. Highly recomm... More

Posted by Filmfan 2 at 11:52, 30 May 2012 \| Report This Post




Watched it this afternoon and loved it. As a longstanding Wes Anderson fan it ticked all the boxes for me and I thought Bruce Willis was a very welcome addition to his usual ensemble. @DMonkey77 can beat the poor turnout at your screening, I watched it on my own! ... More


Posted by Winstone1975 at 19:42, 29 May 2012 \| Report This Post




Just watched today 27/05/12 superb. Really shows whats wrong with the world when myself and 2 friends and one lonely lady at the front were the only ones there. Can't praise this movie enough a sweet, funny, smart and moving film. 5 stars. ... More


Posted by DMonkey77 at 21:00, 27 May 2012 \| Report This Post



Charming and poignant
If you like Wes Anderson, you'll love this. If you don't like Wes Anderson, well... I feel sorry for you. Lovely film. ... More


Posted by freyar_88 at 22:10, 26 May 2012 \| Report This Post

Moonrise KingdomThe Lost Boy Scout

Moonrise Kingdom
The Lost Boy Scout