Jordan Lindsay’s review published on Letterboxd:
I decided to add another Wes Anderson movie to my back-catalogue and Moonrise Kingdom proved to be as charming as my previous experiences with this talented filmmaker.
Taking a different approach to most of Anderson's other work, the story revolves around two kids (Sam and Suzy) swept up in a young romance who find themselves constantly at odds with those around them. The majority of the plot involves their desperate attempts to be together by fleeing their homes into the wilderness of New England. The story is touching but not as funny or exciting as all the other Anderson movies I have seen. It is a distinctly more cutesy tale, as its subject matter demands, that while very enjoyable, was sub-par to its peers. But I admired the more down-to-earth storytelling of Moonrise Kingdom, and it was relaxing and joyous to behold. Bruce Willis, Frances McDormand, Tilda Swinton and, of course, Bill Murray are all great in supporting roles, but the two leads (Jared Gilman and Kara Hayward) steal the show with their portrayal of oddball, lonely, neglected children united in their similar circumstances by love. There isn't a great deal of well-explored sub-plotting going on here which was slightly disappointing and the adults' affairs are altogether a lot less compelling than the kids'.
The visuals are once again perfect from Anderson. I don't know much about filming techniques, but every motion the camera undertakes is meticulous and signals the visionary director's involvement. Linear on-rails strafing between rooms or along scout camps is frequent and skillfully utilised to show so much of the fantastic sets. These sets are exquisitely designed and while this is overall a duller movie than, say, Grand Budapest Hotel, there are still so many beautiful shots captured. The secluded bay that the young lovers hide in was my favourite scene, as they enjoy a single night of peace together reading stories, dancing and practicing kissing, teetering on the edge of both childish and grown-up emotions. The soundtrack is a pretty standard set of goofy, well-produced instrumentals I have came to expect from movies like this. Nothing surprising, but ultimately nice to listen to. The playing of a French record included in the story as Suzy's favourite song was a lovely moment.
Moonrise Kingdom, while not particularly hysterical, does have a lot of amusing dialogue within. The social worker (Swinton) remaining named as "Social Services", Bill Murray suddenly throwing his shoe in a scout leader's face and numerous funny conversations between Sam and Suzy highlighting their naivety stand out as highlights. The editing is exceptional, adding a lot of character to otherwise regular interactions. For example, continually cutting off the narration of back-and-forward letters between the kids then resuming with the next reply enhanced the understanding of the speed at which their relationship grew and left some deliberately ambiguous omissions in their discussions.
While definitely not my favourite Wes Anderson creation, this film has a lot going for it. The grounded, simple and relatable tale of two outcasts united in love, told through the eyes of two young kids is heart-warming, if not extremely engrossing. The trademark visual style is in full-flow here and offbeat touches in the most minute details can be savoured the entire duration of the movie. The acting is excellent as usual for actors presented with such a well-polished script and achieves an opposite yet equally powerful effect to heavily-improvised movies. The attention to absolutely everything going on by Anderson is astounding and he leaves no stone unturned in his quest for complete directorial influence. But having every line, costume, plot development, prop and musical cue under his thumb works in his favour, of course, and he is without a doubt one of the most creative and capable talents in the movie industry for me.
Yours Sincerely,
Newly Self-Declared Wes Anderson Fan-Boy