Review of Asteroid City (2023) by Rebecca31 — 27 Jun 2023

A bunch of A-List actors playing a wide range of characters all find themselves in the middle of the most Wes Anderson film you’ll ever see. Everything from the cinematography, sets, soundtrack and script are constantly reminding you that yes you are indeed watching one of his movies. His style of filmmaking is so unique you only need to look at a single frame to know you’re watching a Wes Anderson film. Asteroid City leaves you feeling like you just spent the last two hours inside Wes Anderson’s head. All you fans out there will not want to miss this.

A writer telling the story of his play about a family suffering from a recent loss as they travel to the remote town of Asteroid City in 1955 for a Junior Stargazing and Space Cadet convention. A whole bunch of unique and quirky characters have travelled for the competition but things take a weird turn when the event is disrupted by world-changing events.

Well you certainly can’t get any more Wes Anderson than that. Who knew he had another level of quirky but he continues to amaze. This is definitely peak Anderson alright, it’s not his best but it’s the most Wes Anderson movie he’s ever made that’s for sure. Asteroid City is packed full of well known actors, some new to the Wes Anderson list and others who are his regular go-to choices. It’s enjoyable, funny and it looks absolutely amazing. I’m sure the set designers always have a great time on a Wes Anderson movie. His movies definitely don’t disappoint when it comes to creativity. I honestly think he sees the world differently to the rest of us and now with Asteroid City you’ll get the perfect opportunity to see the world through his eyes.

Asteroid City starts off very strong and it will delight cinema audiences with the usual quirkiness and humour but as the film progressed it felt like it lost it’s way a little bit and needed something a little more. I enjoyed it and it was funny but it’s not his best and the story isn’t perhaps as well structured as The Grand Budapest Hotel or Isle of Dogs.

Some actors can slot themselves right into a Wes Anderson world and it just works, such as Jeffrey Wright, Steve Carell and Liev Schreiber. They have been great additions to the regular list of names, but others almost seem out of place, we all love Tom Hanks but he did stick out despite everything going on around him. And with an amazing star studded cast it’s hard to make room for them all and as a result a few are underused. My only criticism on that is, if someone’s role in a movie is little more than a cameo then perhaps their name doesn’t need to be on the poster.

Despite that I still really enjoyed Asteroid City and it’s just a further reminder of the level of creativity and imagination that goes into all aspects of filmmaking and no amount of AI or heartless CGI will ever come close to replacing the hard work that goes into the moviemaking process on both sides of the camera. The further AI is kept away from the arts, the better because real filmmakers creating films they want are what cinema audiences want to spend their time watching. I saw Asteroid City in a giant screen at almost max capacity in the middle of a heatwave on a Friday night and it was amazing to see so many film buffs in a time where cinemas are struggling. You really can’t beat the experience of seeing a movie on the big screen with a crowd all enjoying themselves, and the only place you can get that is in a cinema.

Asteroid City might just be too weird and out there for some people but it should delight his fanbase. All I’ll say is to anyone who might not love his previous movies, Asteroid City may not be to your tastes. If you find yourself unsure of what to see this week then the trailer gives a good idea of what you’re in for. Recommended for all the Wes Anderson fans.