Moonrise Kingdom (2012)

Directed by Wes Anderson

Starring Jared Gilman and Kara Hayward with Bruce Willis, Bill Murray, Frances McDormand, Edward Norton and Jason Schwartzman

A troubled young boy and girl decide to meet up and run away together having had enough of the current state their lives are in. This leads to the islands other inhabitants, parents, scout leader, police captain, scouts, a dog, the mailman to start a search party to find them and bring them home.

Strange, awkward, funny, silly, kooky, big name actors, all of which describe the way a Wes Anderson film always comes across to the audience. The characters of the little boy and girl are the main focus point in the film but are wonderfully supported by the big name actors surrounding them. Edward Norton as Scout Master Ward is fantastic all the way through and his character seems to grow and grow as the film progresses. He was by far my favourite character in the film. Every character has their own little moment that brings them to life, mostly down to the excellent lines that have been written for them.

Recommendation

This is a Wes Anderson film. If you have seen his other stuff then you know the kind of film you will be getting. If you haven’t then this film will probably seem a bit arty and pretentious for you. It looks like that on purpose. The film looks fantastic, great script, witty one-liners and a whole bag of big name actors that don’t get in the way of the story. A fan of Wes Anderson’s other hits will love this film. Watch it.

Film Fact

This is Bill Murray’s sixth collaboration with Wes Anderson. Rushmore, The Royal Tenenbaums, The Life Aquatic with Steve Zizzou, The Darjeeling Limited, Fantastic Mr. Fox and now Moonrise Kingdom.