Movie Review: Isle of Dogs (2018)

In the middle of watching Isle of Dogs, the first film I’ve seen at a private screening, and one I had been waiting for for what seems like years, I realized I was watching what might be the best adventure film ever made.

If you know anything about me, you know that Wes Anderson has been my favorite filmmaker for a very long time, and that there isn’t a film of his that I don’t absolutely adore. When I heard he was making another stop motion film, more specifically a stop motion film about DOGS, I knew I was in for something fantastic. The cast was released, and then the poster, and then the trailer, and then somehow, my mom got her hands on tickets to see Fantastic Mr. Fox in theaters. We later found out that included with the Fantastic Mr. Fox screening were FREE tickets to see Isle of Dogs a week before it was being released in theaters in my town. And, as the story goes, Wednesday arrived, and so did Isle of Dogs.

Isle of Dogs opens with Wes Anderson’s iconic visuals, and instantly, almost without giving you room to breathe, takes you on its journey. The characters, with Anderson’s perfectly snappy script, immediately bring laughter to the somehow beautiful and disgusting Trash Island. I’ve never been good at reviewing the technical aspects of films, but if you know Wes Anderson, which mostly everyone does, you know how much detail and care he puts into his projects.

The adventure this movie takes you on feels real. It feels like you’re there with the dogs, with Atari, and with Tracy and her group of student protesters. The imagery is violent, the dogs say “son of a bitch” and “I’m gonna kick his ass” (really, please don’t take children to see this). I wish I could be less predictable, but Wes Anderson never disappoints me. With every project he brings something new. He matures and so do his characters. Isle of Dogs will go down as being one of the best adventure films of all time, and will be sure to make fans of his films happy.