The Review - Moonrise Kingdom

On Monday, Luke surprised me by taking me to a movie. Actually, surprise is the wrong term, because when he said he had something special planned for Monday night I kind of figured out that he was taking me to see Moonrise Kingdom, simply because I had mentioned wanting to see it a few days before.

At the moment, we're very fortunate to be living about 200 metres away from the Embassy, one of Wellington's best cinemas. It's a really beautiful old theatre that has been made into a cinema (now with 2 deluxe screening rooms on the ground floor). This is actually where they premiered The Lord of The Rings: The Return of the King. Anyway, one thing I really love about the Embassy, apart from its beautiful design and interior, is that the movie posters have to fit where the names of theatrical productions had been surrounded by flashing lights. For this reason, they employ someone to paint horizontal rectangular movie posters, and for some reason it really warms my heart that someone still does this job.

Anyway, I digress. So yes, I had been wanting to see Moonrise Kingdom ever since I saw the trailer. It's a Wes Anderson film, and it must be said that all of his movies have a very particular take on the world. To be honest, the only other one of his movies I've seen is The Darjeeling Limited. I remember that I enjoyed this but I don't remember too much else. He also did Fantastic Mr. Fox, but my mother, who is the absolute authority on all Roald Dahl books, refused to see that because they made Mr. Fox and his friends wear clothes, so out of respect for her I decided to miss it.

Again I digress! As I always say, I've never met a tangent I didn't like. The storyline of Moonrise Kingdom is pretty simple - it's the fun and quirky characters that really bring it to life. Set in 1965, it tells of two 12-year-olds who meet on a New England island called "New Penzance". Sam Shakusky is an orphan from a slightly troubled past who is attending the "Khaki Scout" summer camp, while Suzy Bishop, a bit of a loner, lives on the island with her attorney parents and three younger brothers in a house called Summer's End. The two meet during the previous summer, and decide to run away together next summer. The story follows their escape and the locals' attempts to find them.

This film stars some well-known actors, who to be frank look as though they're having a lot of fun. I really enjoyed Moonrise Kingdom, but perhaps it's not for everyone. You really have to be prepared to enter into Wes Anderson's perspective on the world, and I understand that it might not be everybody's cup of tea. 

I really loved Anderson's use of music in this film, especially the orchestral pieces and choir numbers. There is something very endearing about the characters and how comical yet somber they all are. However, be warned: there is one rather awkward scene with Suzy and Sam on the beach. Luke and I both kind of looked at each other, eyebrows raised, thinking: "Was that really necessary?" It's unfortunate when one bad scene can slightly ruin your enjoyment of a movie. But apart from that, it was a good film.

Scout Master Ward: Jiminy Cricket - he flew the coop! 

Sam: Why do you consider me your enemy?
Redford: Because your girlfriend stabbed me in the back with lefty scissors.
Sam: She's my wife now.

 Captain Sharp: It's been proven by history: all mankind makes mistakes.

Here is the trailer - enjoy!

 Until next time :)