I have gotten a lot of great movies for Easter. Andrew and I are equally enthused about movies, so we got a lot of them this year. Among the movies were Saving Private Ryan, Beasts of the Southern Wild, Slumdog Millionaire, The King's Speech, and Les Miserables. But after all of those films, all those great masterpieces, the one film I loved the most was none other than Moonrise Kingdom.
Moonrise Kingdom takes place on the make-believe island of New Penzance. During a showing of the play Noyes Flode, or Noah's Flood, Khaki Scout Sam [Jared Gilman] accidentally ends up in a girls' dressing room, sees a girl named Suzy [Kaya Hayward], and both end up falling in love. They become pen pals, and eventually end up running away together. When the Khaki Scouts, among them Scout Master Ward [Edward Norton], discover Sam is missing, they tell police officer Captain Sharp [Bruce Willis] about the runaway. This starts a chain reaction of events that start to rip the small community apart, which gets even worse when a hurricane-level storm heads ashore. Can the people stick together and keep the island in one piece?
This movie may sound slightly dark, but director Wes Anderson keeps the story going at a light, family-friendly pace.The movie is very funny, as I have found watching the movie again. I laughed at all the same jokes I laughed at before, and the film was so intelligent that I couldn't help but howl with laughter at the best moments, such as the treehouse scene [I won't spoil it for you]. The movie is the same loving, mellow tone of previous Wes Anderson film Fantastic Mr. Fox, which is a good thing.
Throughout the movie, I couldn't help but love the sheer beauty of this film. The cinematography has 2-D angles for most of the film, and the art direction consists of yellow and then gray when the storm brews in. This adds a storybook feel through the entirety of the film, not much different than the books Suzy packs in her suitcase as she runs away.
The score shines even more light onto Moonrise Kingdom. It excellently transitions from classical music to bells and a boys choir. The music truly sets the tone for the film, simple yet beautiful.
Sam and Suzy's love totally rings in my heart. Most love stories put a lot of interest into the stars' "true love". This is either love at first sight or gradually grows as time goes on. Moonrise Kingdom is different. They aren't Romeo and Juliet, but their love isn't invisible. Their story is a more subtle, believable approach.
As for the other characters, I might have thought they were living, breathing souls. Captain Sharp's affair with Mrs. Bishop, played by Frances McDormand, leaves him lonely in the universe, which creates a bond between him and Sam. Scout Master Ward is a school teacher for most of the year, but leading the Khaki Scouts is his priority, which he proves later in the film. The Bishops, among them Wes Anderson favorite Bill Murray, consist of mostly boys, leaving Suzy on her own. The Khaki Scouts despise Sam at first, but later realize that he is just another scout member, becoming his allies.
Moonrise Kingdom is a wonder in every way. It is equally funny, sweet and beautiful, yet still simple and wonderful. It is artistic, but anyone can still relate to it. The movie is so brilliant that I even have the nerve to say that it is my favorite film of all time.
Final Score:10/10
