Wes Anderson’s Odyssey: Moonrise Kingdom
This review of Moonrise Kingdom is spoiler-free!
Having just talked about Wes Anderson as a director in the opening of my last article of an Anderson film, The Grand Budapest Hotel, I think it's time to target another area of his best film qualities. Being that his storytelling style doesn't necessarily require the stories to be deeply rooted in serious moments and true drama, Anderson is able to incorporate emotion with a more carefree attitude. His films aren't targetted at a certain genre but he has a means to capture audiences of all ages simply due to how well he plays off them and their feelings and emotions. It's an incredible asset for a director to have and something that I'm sure many others wish they could do with their films. This is most prevalent to me in his 2012 release, Moonrise Kingdom. So without further adieu, let's dive into it!
The story of Moonrise Kingdom comes during the year of 1965, from an island off the coast of New England by the name of New Penzance. It seems as though this world exists in a bubble almost avoiding the terrors of the outside world and being a constantly joyful place. Sam is a young boy scout who stumbles upon Suzy and they immediately fall in love. Deciding to run away together, they start their journey into the unknown wilderness of New Penzance, without their families' knowledge. Quickly some of the adults on the island decide to band together and find the young children before a terrifying storm strikes their peaceful island. Once again we're treated to a story that is outside the box and also captures some common elements of coming-of-age stories. Wes Anderson's story here is arguably more relatable than that of The Grand Budapest, and I praise him for his overall choice in storytelling.
As for characters, there's really just so many that it's hard to nail down just a few to talk about. I think for me, I want to talk about two different groups of characters: two adults, and the two main children. Starting with the adults of the group we have Bruce Willis' Captain Sharp. Willis is an actor we've grown used to in action style roles so seeing him in a movie that uses him differently is refreshing. His character acts as a father figure to Sam throughout the movie and their bond is one of the best secondary pieces of the film as a whole. The other main adult character that absolutely needs to be discussed is Edward Norton's Scout Master Ward. This is essentially a guy who has a pretty bad life and ends up living his best life at Camp Ivanhoe. He's a comedic relief character who still feels like he's in the boy scouts and acts like it throughout. There isn't a ton of the depth to him as a whole but he's just a fun addition to the cast as a whole.
Focusing on the children in the film, Jared Gilman's Sam is a strange young child who is stricken by love and joy with this person he meets. He fits the role perfectly and embodies young love perfectly in his character. Suzy, played by Kara Hayward fits in right next to him. They have this natural awkward nature to them that fits with the strangeness of the film. There's not a ton to really say about their overall acting quality because they're playing awkward young lovers in a strange place. They just want to be happy together and watching their journey through the wilderness brought back memories of the past. When we're young we don't know the struggles that come with relationships, just that perfectly joyous feeling that comes with being in someone else's company. They express this perfectly through their interactions and I loved their relationship as a whole.
Wes Anderson has a means of expression in his films that came out beautifully in Moonrise Kingdom. Seeing these two children experience the joys of love and happiness through the gleeful mind Anderson presents is awe-inspiring. Bringing back feelings of our youth through these two young children on a journey of exploration makes you laugh and cry. With the added visual flair that comes with Anderson films, Moonrise Kingdom feels like it was a perfectly matched film. The look, feel, and story of the film make it enjoyable in all areas. For a film that seems rather simple at the start, Moonrise Kingdom is an excellent adventure through the hearts and minds of audiences.
