Isle of Dogs

2018 "Welcome to the Isle of Dogs."
7.8| 1h41m| PG-13| en| More Info
Released: 23 March 2018 Released
Producted By: Scott Rudin Productions
Country: United States of America
Budget: 0
Revenue: 0
Official Website: http://www.isleofdogsmovie.com/
Synopsis

In the future, an outbreak of canine flu leads the mayor of a Japanese city to banish all dogs to an island used as a garbage dump. The outcasts must soon embark on an epic journey when a 12-year-old boy arrives on the island to find his beloved pet.

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johnsmithsbasementreviews Isle of Dogs is exactly what you would expect from Wes Anderson at this point: childhood whimsy and fun mixed with some darker themes and moments. The film is another one of his stop-motion movies, after the excellent Fantastic Mr. Fox in 2009.The good news is that this film is just, if not more, visually striking. Wes' level of detail, in everything from the backgrounds the fur of the protagonists, is amazing. The dialogue, characters and story are top-noch as ever...even if they're a tad predictable by this point.The star-studded cast (including Bryan Cranston, Scarlett, Johansson, Ed Norton, Jeff Golblum, Bill Murray, Anjelica Huston, etc.) does a fantastic job, as do the lesser-known actors The soundtrack is fantastic, nearly all of it consists of Taiko percussion. However, this also leads into a criticism that may be minor or major, depending on how woke you consider yourself to be.I'll get right to the point: the film is guilty of using Japanese stereotypes. Atari saves the day with the power of a haiku. Kobayashi changes his mind over the fact that "he has no honor". It's not exactly nuanced, nor is it justifiable. However it doesn't come across as malicious or even intentional either. It doesn't ruin the movie, but it is worth mentioning.Other than that, the only other 'real' criticism is the movie isn't as laugh-out-loud funny as Fantastic Mr. Fox. But that doesn't bother me. Besides, it's less funny because there are less jokes, not because the jokes aren't funny.On the whole, Isle of Dogs is a fantastic, if slightly insensitive, movie that anyone who loves great independent films should watch.
referencegirl I love Wes Anderson. In Isle of Dogs he delivers signature moves that make his work so good - compelling story, carefully detailed and visually entertaining planimetric shots, deadpan humor... but... the depiction of Japanese culture made me uncomfortable. I'm no expert on cultural sensitivity but I am not sure the depiction of Japanese culture was respectful here.
billcr12 Isle of Dogs is an animated film with dogs as the stars. The human characters are secondary. Visually it is as good as it gets and the story is good enough to keep the audience watching. A mean mayor in Japan has banned all canines to an island due to a doggy flu. The cure is hidden from the public and a 12 year-old boy must come to the rescue of his pet and the rest of the dogs. A few Japanese language moments had no subtitles and I don't know if this was a mistake. Otherwise, Isle of Dogs provides some much needed distraction from the current news cycle.
Jack Bennett A 12-year-old Japanese boy, with the assistance of a small group from the local canine population, journeys across a barren landscape in search of his beloved dog, Spots.A helpful opening title card explains that the Japanese characters in Isle of Dogs speak Japanese (mostly) untranslated, while the dogs' barks have been generously translated into English. The film keeps its promise - the only time a Japanese character's dialogue is spoken in English is when they're on TV with a translator - which means that some parts go over our heads as they do the dogs' (since an Alsatian can't understand Japanese either), but never enough that the audience is alienated or lose track of what's going on. Sadly, there's little to the story - travel here, get some advice, travel there - but the way the script reveals the pasts of the dogs, the 'little pilot' named Atari and the island means there's always something going on to keep your attention, although people who don't like slower films will be fighting off their heavy eyelids (at 102 minutes, this is the second longest stop-motion film ever made).The animation, as you would expect from Wes Anderson, is charming and endearing to the eye much like his last venture into Ray Harryhausen's domain, Fantastic Mr. Fox. However this isn't an especially pretty film; the harsh landscape of an island made almost exclusively from refuse isn't one that lends kindly to Anderson's trademark cutesy style and perfectly centred simplistic shots, though he certainly tries. Instead the charm comes from the doubtless talents of the animators in giving the dogs individual and collective personalities, while the cast of voice actors aids their efforts.The biggest disappointment (not that there are any others worth mentioning) is that the ending is one of those that just happens because 'reasons'; it washes over you and the entire status quo is flipped on its head without being entirely sure why. Isle of Dogs leaves you with lasting messages of the dangers of misinformation, the perils of unflinching obedience to authority, and that man's best friends are bloody awesome - after all, the title itself when spoken makes the person admit their love of dogs!Best Quote: (in Bill Murray's voice) "I was the lead mascot for an undefeated high school baseball team. I lost all my spirit ... I'm depressing."