Moonrise Kingdom

A typically quirky and erratic Wes Anderson effort, Moonrise Kingdom follows a pair of precocious adolescents (Jared Gilman’s Sam and Kara Hayward’s Suzy) as they flee from their respective homes and subsequently become the focus of a massive manhunt. It’s clear right from the outset that Anderson isn’t looking to reinvent the wheel here, as Moonrise Kingdom has been infused with, for lack of a better term, as Andersonian a feel as one has come to expect from the off-kilter filmmaker. The pervasively twee atmosphere doesn’t become problematic until well past the half-hour mark, however, with the propulsive narrative and uniformly charismatic characters proving instrumental in immediately capturing the viewer’s interest. There’s little doubt, however, that the film begins to demonstrably run out of steam as it enters its increasingly stagnant midsection, as the emphasis is placed, for the most part, on the progressively underwhelming exploits of the various characters – with the less-than-engrossing vibe compounded by a pace that slows down to a veritable crawl. And though the film remains relatively watchable from beginning to end (ie the performances alone perpetuate the passable atmosphere), Moonrise Kingdom builds to a rather endless final stretch that’ll leave even the most forgiving viewer checking their watch – which effectively (and ultimately) cements the movie’s place as the latest underwhelming effort from a persistently (and stubbornly) idiosyncratic filmmaker.

**1/2 out of ****