Isle of Dogs

Wes Anderson is a unique director with his own style to the point of becoming his own genre. In over 20 years of his career, many have loved his works that share certain archetypes that typically feel fresh depending on the choice actor, a variety of camera shots he's known for, visual storytelling such as someone using a map to make a plan, and a planned strategy that goes wrong. Admittedly I haven't seen a lot of his works until this point, with Fantastic Mr. Fox (his first stop-motion animated feature) being the only one that I own on DVD. Many of the aforementioned Anderson-isms are accounted for there with the delightful charm that stole my heart, which brings us to his latest entry in that same animation style Isle of Dogs. The marketing campaign contain little samples of his style to entice enough of my attention (but didn't seem to be very active) and gained positive critical reception. I entered the auditorium excited to watch it (especially since Isle of Dogs was on my anticipated movies of 2018 list) and left it both ecstatic and impressed by one of the best movies I've seen this year so far.

Plot: The story takes place in a dystopian near-future Japan where a young boy searches for his dog after the entire species have been banished to a trash island due an illness outbreak. The execution of this plot is narratively well-told from different points of view being shown: the antics that take place on the isolated canine land and the political intrigue going on at the main city where different sides are competing against one another using the aforementioned banishment as the connecting thread. The former carries good dynamics among the protagonists, excellent visual storytelling, wonderful flashbacks that carry equally strong qualities equal to that of the present day in order to keep consistent with Andersons standards, and contains a strong sense of heartfelt emotion to tie the story very well. The latter is very fascinating to observe the politics going on with the aforementioned canine conundrum being used in a revolution against the legalized banishment. Both of these arcs tie into each other very smoothly and are organized into chapters in order to keep the narrative focused.

There are two minor issues with this that are worth pointing out, even though they don't hamper the quality. It's fair to mention that almost all of the main roles are male dominated and that the female ones are very limited in their roles/screen time (though they do a great job in their performances). Also in the third act, something small and ludicrous occurs during a rally that might take some out of what's going on (it's weird, which is saying something considering the quirky things throughout the film). However, despite the small problems, the plot is very captivating in ways that would surprise many in terms of its quirky canines, genuine comic relief moments, fascinating political intrigue, and hilariously honest dialog.

Characters: One thing to keep in mind is that the cast roster is so large to the point where I can only talk about one or two central focused ones. The main protagonist being followed is Chief (Bryan Cranston), a former stray dog and de facto leader of his group. Bryan is great in voicing an actual personality type instead of being himself as he manages to convey gruff and stern nature with some hidden emotional vulnerability. The best detail about those on screen is how brutally and hilariously honest everyone is with each other such as stating an intent to bring physical harm over a pile of food both opposing forces desire (which is a fun scene). There's also a disclaimer that the Japanese language will be spoken without subtitles but there are some important instances where there's are translators whether it's from a monitor in the room or if it's someone else providing the report on the radio during a conference. Among the skilled cast of actors, my favorite character standouts are Rex (Edward Norton), Jupiter (F. Murray Abraham), Oracle (Tilda Swinton), and Spots (Live Schreiber).

Overall Consensus: Isle of Dogs accomplishes more than expected through strong performances, quirky canines, witty dialog, great narrative structure, beautiful visual storytelling, heartfelt emotion, and enjoyable comic relief. ⭑⭑⭑⭑1/2🍿🎟 Runtime: 1 hour 41 minutes PG-13

Reasons to watch it: You like Wes Anderson's style of filmmaking. You love entertaining and heartfelt stop-motion animated films. You enjoy seeing Japanese culture being presented in a respected manner. You love watching canine protagonists in media. You like brutally honest but quirky conversations.

Reasons to avoid it: You dislike Wes Anderson's style of filmmaking. You dislike stop-motion animation. You dislike Japanese culture being showcased in media. You hate films with dogs involved as the protagonists.

Coming up next: March Madness appears to be almost concluding is a strong manner with the excellent Isle of Dogs. However, it's time to finish off the month by returning to large CGI blockbusters and pop culture nostalgia with Steven Spielberg. Tune in next time as Screening Spectacles will be taking reviewing an adaptation of a popular book after having watched an advance screening of Ready Player One!