Directed by Wes Anderson

Starring: Ed Norton, Bryan Cranston, Bill Murray, Jeff Goldblum, Greta Gerwig

And here we are. After seeing The Grand Budapest Hotel which I thought was an amazing instalment into Wes Anderson's film catalogue, I was pumped for his next film. I'm absolutely a huge fan of Anderson's work and style, his wit, charm and humour always do something different for me to other filmmakers. Fantastic Mr Fox is one of my favourite films of all time, and it is of course an animated film by Anderson, so when I heard that his next film would also be animated... I was sold. The possibilities are endless when animation is involved, and with Isle of Dogs, Anderson has crafted another masterpiece featuring man's best friend. And who doesn't love dogs?

Set in a near-future Japan, the savage and angry Mayor Kobayashi banishes all dogs to 'trash island,' after an illness outbreak from the dogs. On the island, stray dog Chief (Cranston) and his pack Rex (Norton) Duke (Goldblum) Boss (Murray) and King (Bob Balaban) discover Kobayashi's nephew Atari (Koyu Rankin) who is searching for his lost dog Spots. The group help Atari as they travel across the island, but back in Japan the Mayor has other plans for the canines.

First things first. This film is gorgeous. The aesthetic of absolutely everything is just captivating. The Japanese background is integrated amazingly, and Anderson must have researched this so well, because I feel like his attention to detail with the culture comes off so nicely. His framing and artistic look to his films always make them look almost like moving paintings, and I think that Isle of Dogs is one of the best in his library of films to do this. One thing that took me by surprise was Alexandre Desplat's score, which had me pumped all the way throughout. I immediately downloaded the soundtrack right after because I loved it so much, and wasn't expecting much from it. It really ties the tone and overall film together.

The animation is beautiful of course, and I think it's even an improvement over that of Fantastic Mr Fox. The design of each of the characters are unique and interesting, and for the dogs especially every little strand of hair that flies about in the wind is recorded, and that's just an example of how far the animation goes. There's so much to explore in the world Wes has created here so the more viewings, I'd say the better, just as with all of his films. There will always be something new to find, whether it's a joke, or something in the background you didn't catch before, and with animation I can safely say that there is so much more beyond these examples.

The characters are great too. Not just in looks either, as there are so many unique ones to get attached too. The most compelling had to by Cranston's Chief who really developed more than anyone throughout the story, with the help of Atari, who I also loved. Their relationship was one of the most charming things about the film. The rest of the dogs are great but I wish we got to see more of them, we get a lot from Rex's perspective in the first half but it does change to Chief and stays there, and then does forget about the other dogs. Having said that the dialogue and voice acting do help bring this world to life in more ways than one, and whilst I expected there to be a lot more humour in terms  of dialogue, there is still plenty to get from the visuals, as with most of his films the visual comedy is rife.

It's not my favourite one of Anderson's in terms of story but in terms of the stunning world it is one of the best. I may seem quite biased since I'm a big Anderson nut but I actually went in trying not to get too hyped, and I'm glad I didn't. It's typical Anderson magic and I wouldn't have it any other way. Let's not forget aswell the fact we all love dogs. You can listen to me talk about this film as a film, but if you're going to go on any recommendation - go on the fact you love dogs. For me, Wes Anderson and dogs combined are a winning combination. 

9/10