Moonrise Kingdom (2012) - Wes Anderson

Wes Anderson's latest film is a sweet tale of young romance involving Sam, a very mature young orphan, and Suzy, who is the black sheep in her family.  Escaping from their authoritative constraints, the two run away together, into the wilderness.  Moonrise Kingdom will definitely satisfy Anderson's fanbase, but I'm not entirely sure it will do much in terms of converting his naysayers.  His trademark aesthetic is definitely intact- the use of ultra bright color scheme, and panel-like set designs are really elevated in this film by Anderson's camera-work.  The amount of lateral movements in this film are amazing, as if Anderson wants to create this type of visual window into this charming-exaggerated reality.  There is no doubt that this film, even more so than his previous efforts, draws inspiration from 60's french new wave film's like Pierre Le Fou, but Anderson's aesthetic continues to evolve, as he is much more confident in his decisions-breaking his cinematic window a few specific times with added emotional impact.  The script is smart and witty, and given the subject material, it's his most charming film to-date.  Moonrise plays with a ton of the genre tropes associated with romantic narratives and even has some fun with action conventions in a few particular scenes.  There is a sense of nostalgia while watching the film, as one is reminded of the distress and bliss young love brings, and as always, Anderson's use of music and sound is perfect.   This is definitely an upper echelon Wes Anderson film, that is charming, cute and funny, though it didn't have the lingering emotional impact on me which is necessary to proclaim it his best film.
8.25/10

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