Movie review: Isle of Dogs

Scene from Isle of Dogs

Don't be fooled into thinking Wes Anderson's latest is a feel-good family film.

Yes, it is stop-motion animation and, yes, the film's heroes are a group of talking dogs (translated into English from their native dog, as noted at the start of the picture) and a 12-year-old boy (occasionally, but not always, translated via subtitle from his native Japanese) but that's where the kid-friendliness ends.

No spoilers here but the story is filled with dirty politics, assassinations, incineration, fatal disease, vicious fights and grim death. I liked it a lot.

Given that laundry list of dark material, it's odd to now turn around and say that Isle of Dogs is also thoroughly charming, wonderfully offbeat and delightfully imaginative. But there you go.

Set in the near future, a major Japanese city banishes all dogs to a nearby island where the city dumps its rubbish. Pets and strays band together to battle the hostile environment and each other in a life or death fight for survival. But when a young boy arrives on the island looking for his beloved pet, a ragtag gang of dogs agrees to help him.

What follows is a road movie of sorts, as man's best friend escorts the young man to the far reaches of the island. While they're consulting dog oracles and navigating various obstacles, back in the city a fierce political battle rages over a conspiracy-focused party that is proposing a final solution to the so-called dog problem.

There's enough here to pull a contemporary subtext and deeper meaning to the movie's political bite if you desire. But it's so gorgeously animated and beautifully realised that sitting back and basking in its visual splendour is certainly a valid way to experience the film.

The puppets' characters are so filled with heart and soul that investment into their various plights is all but guaranteed. The film's also very funny, with an irresistibly subversive humour and a story that offers plenty of unexpected joys and surprise.

At this stage of his career, Anderson is not changing anyone's mind about his signature and idiosyncratic style of film-making. There's not much middle ground between an audience's adoration to his material or their apathy.

But you'd have to be barking mad to miss this.

Cast: Bryan Cranston, Bill Murray, Scarlett Johansson
Director: Wes Anderson
Running Time: 101 mins
Rating: PG (Violence and coarse language)
Verdict: Anderson delivers a cinematic purebred.