Catching Up: ‘Isle of Dogs’ ★★★

By Bob Bloom

“Isle of Dogs” is another quirky Wes Anderson project; a stop-motion animated film set in a futuristic Japan in which dogs have been banished from the nation.

It’s a movie you can embrace and admire, but one in which it is difficult to have any emotional involvement.

Your attention is mostly fixated on the way writer-director Anderson tells his story and handles his characters rather than the plot itself.

The movie, told in English and Japanese, sometimes with subtitles and sometimes without, is one dog lovers can stroke.

Atari, a young boy, travels to the Island of Trash to retrieve his beloved dog, Spots. There, Atari throws in with a group of abandoned dogs who help him traverse the island and its dangerous to find his pet.

The movie’s vocal talent is one of its most impressive features. The talent includes Bryan Cranston, Liev Schreiber, Edward Norton, Scarlett Johansson, Bill Murray, Tilda Swinton, Greta Gerwig, Ken Watanabe, Bob Balaban, Jeff Goldblum, Frances McDormand, Courtney B. Vance, Yoko Ono, F. Murray Abraham, Harvey Keitel and several fine Japanese performers.

One of the movie’s major subtext’s is examining the gullibility of people and how easily they can be swayed — even against their better instincts.

The movie is more an exposition of Anderson’s experimentation and passion with film rather than a fully realized project.

“Isle of Dogs” offers wit and charm, but it also feels emotionally distant and cold.

One of the movie’s best components is the score by recent Academy Award-winner Alexandre Desplat, which incorporates Japanese instrumentation and percussion to help advance the story.

In a few instances, the movie does feel a bit culturally insensitive and condescending. Overall, though, it is a project that spotlights cinematic technology and its potential.

I am a member of the Indiana Film Journalists Association. My reviews appear at ReelBob (reelbob.com) and Rottentomatoes (www.rottentomatoes.com). I also review Blu-rays and DVDs. I can be reached by email at bobbloomjc@gmail.com or on Twitter @ReelBobBloom. Links to my reviews can be found on Facebook, Twitter, Google+ and LinkedIn.

ISLE OF DOGS
3 stars out of 4
(PG-13), violent images, thematic elements