By Michael Dillon

Isle of Dogs is Wes Anderson’s newest film and while it has the ambition you expect from him, it falls short of the expectations set by his previous works.

The film takes place in a near future, but strangely retro, Japan in which a virulent disease has forced its corrupt government to exile all of its dogs to “Trash Island.”

The son of the man responsible for exiling all the dogs to “Trash Island” journeys there in search of his family pet with five dogs assisting him.

Isle of Dogs is animated in the same stop motion style as Anderson’s 2009 film Fantastic Mr. Fox and employs much of the same cast.

The film is easily one of the most impressive I’ve seen in recent memory, as its animation style turns an oversized landfill into a surreal otherworld and hunks of clay and wire convey far more emotion than they have any right to.

The symmetrical camerawork makes it all the more impressive, as Anderson’s clear, perfectionist style avoids most potential shortcuts. Films like Isle of Dogs are a reminder as to why 3D animation hasn’t completely replaced other methods.

The film’s tone and visuals are a product of Anderson’s standard approach, in which storybook whimsy is coupled with unexpectedly adult themes.

Despite ostensibly being a kids film, death and disease are central to Isle of Dogs premise, and it only gets more gruesome from there. It’s also in a strange position where certain elements are too contrived for older audiences and others that are too complex for younger viewers.

Surprisingly, the large amount of Japanese dialogue is not confusing, thanks to the film’s clever use of narration.

In fact, the attempts to translate it into English are more disruptive than if they had left non-Japanese speaking viewers to parse the meaning from the context.

Admittedly, most of the film’s dialogue comes from the dogs, who all speak English. Even then, the film’s interesting approach to language is one of its stronger points.
While most Anderson films are carried by their strong, idiosyncratic characters, Isle of Dogs is too reliant on its more visual elements.

The characters, whether they be human or canine, are not particularly memorable.

The cast is bolstered by the high-profile actors it employs, including Edward Norton, Bill Murray, Bryan Cranston, Scarlett Johansson and even Yoko Ono.

They were clearly invested in their work, which lends the characters a genuine quality they would have otherwise lacked. The dogs are much more entertaining than the humans, and they manage to wring some emotion out of even the more clichéd aspects of Isle of Dogs.

The eponymous island they live on is also more interesting than the futuristic mainland Japan, though the film spends the majority of time in the latter locale.

While the film begins as a very personal story, it transitions into something closer to an action movie plot by the end. It loses a lot of its charm along the way, as the ever-increasing scope is accompanied by a progressive lack of focus.

Some might also accuse Isle of Dogs of cultural appropriation, considering it is a film by a white director with a primarily white cast. While their film has a very “touristy” mindset throughout, I am not certain whether the film borders on cultural appropriation.

Isle of Dogs clearly comes from a place of affection, though it draws more from a love of Japanese cinema and culture than anything else. Isle of Dogs is by all means a flawed film, but at the very least a very original one.

Isle of Dogs won Wes Anderson the Silver Bear for Best Director at the 68th Berlin International Film Festival. (Courtesy of Facebook).