Wes Anderson, a director whose work is admired by many, is known for his very specific style. With two new movies having come out recently (asteroid city and the wonderful story of henry sugar) why not take a trip down memory lane and look at some past works.
If you want to understand Wes Anderson movies you have to know what you’re getting into. Wes Anderson movies are not like most, he employs a constant use of symmetrical framing that, plus his iconic color palette of pastels contrasted with bright pops of primary colors, create a visual aesthetic that is seen in all his movies weather your watching a stop motion animation or a live action movie you can tell Wes Anderson had his hands in it.
His first movie, Bottle Rocket (1996), a heist movie about a group of thieves and their blooming friendship. Though this is his first and probably the most traditional movie you can start to see the beginnings of his style . This is also the start of his continual use of actors such as Owen Wilson, whose debut movie was Bottle Rocket, Bill Murray, and William Dafoe to name a few.
Another one of Anderson’s trademarks is his use of stop motion animation, like in movies The Fantastic Mr Fox (2009) and more recently Isle of Dogs (2018). Though aimed more at kids, both talk about very grown topics. In Fantastic Mr Fox it discusses feeling being overlooked and feeling not appreciated, and the need to be viewed as exceptional at all times.
Though all of his movies are great for different reasons, in my personal opinion I think the best one is The Grand Budapest Hotel. It’s the best example of his style having a very dramatic color palette. As seen in the pastel pink hotel and bright purple suits. For first time
viewers I would recommend first watching Moonrise kingdom, if you have a spare 4 dollars and an Amazon Prime account. Then Grand Budapest and after that Fantastic Mr Fox. Isle of Dogs and Bottle Rocket are not mandatory but can be fun.
In closing, an artist like Wes Anderson only comes around once in a lifetime. I don’t believe Anderson movies are for everyone but if you’re looking for a movie to watch look no further than his filmography. He is so much more than just a director, he truly is a genius.
