Release date: May 16, 2012 (Cannes Film Festival) 

New comers mixed with the best!

Holy rubber poop monsters Batman! Moonrise Kingdom goes at you like a baboon with a score to settle. This is the latest film by low-budget superstar director Wes Anderson. Interestingly enough; this is his first venture without the 2001 male model of the year Owen “Hansel” Wilson. Before I go any further. This is Anderson flexing his usual muscles, film making-wise.

Moonrise Kingdom stars cinematic heavyweights Bill Murray, Bruce Willis, Edward Norton, Frances McDormand alongside newbies Jared “I’m a PC” Gilman and Kara Hayward. The flick follows the adventure of Sam (Gilman), a Khaki Scout and Suzy (Kara) as they try to run away and be together, while the small town and scouting community try to find them while coping with their own issues. Oh and there’s primary colours and lightening.

What Worked:

– The acting! Everyone pulled their own weight in this thang. You expect a pretty great job from McDormand, Murray and Willis. But what blew me out of the water were all the kids. Of course the shinning light is firmly bestowed on Jared Gilman and Kara Hayward. These two preteens took the ball and ran with it. Even doing some scenes that most kids have lived, but wouldn’t normally like to act out. Anderson put them and us through the paces.

– The writing. Duh. I know. This is Wes Anderson. He should have written the 00’s Spiderman. But what can I say. I enjoy his “ho-hum” attitude that he uses in his work. All the characters speak as if the world were grey, but they live in colour.

What didn’t work:

– The budget. Maybe I’m getting too used to Hollywood’s 10839404754o87y3930373037.97$ budgets, but I guess being able to notice the stuffed dummy in one scene makes it feel 1960’s Batman kind of campy rather than his usual shtick.

The Lowdown:

This one’s short and sweet. I’m not sure this will ever see a “true” wide release. But if it is playing at a cinema near you, it’s worth checking out. You’ll go for Anderson’s reputation, but enjoy it for the world he lets you spy into even for just 94 minutes. I see a bright future for Kara Hayward after this flick. She can use this on her CV, because Moonrise Kingdom is Verified Awesome!