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Rating: Q=7, P=6 / Can't Get Enough
Scale 1=4, Scale 2=3, Scale 3=3, Scale 4=3
Whimsical, 1950s, Science Fiction, Grieving, Philosophical
I love Wes Anderson's aesthetic and his quirky stories (here is my post where I rank all of them), so I was excited to see yet another of his meticulously crafted fantasies. To me, Asteroid City is the perfect "story within a story" film (which Wes Anderson loves) and probably Anderson's most philosophical tale. The audience watches both the players of a play and the play they are performing. The lines blur between which one is reality and which one is fantasy--which isn't an original concept but the execution of this concept is brilliantly executed. It is also very timely. This film is full of grief and overwhelming topics--nuclear war, loss of life/grief, depression, isolation. It is poignant after a pandemic that changed so much of how we humans operate together and alone.
Asteroid City is also just so visually beautiful--the over-saturated/artificial colors made so much sense in the story and was mesmerizing to see. The music was also my favorite soundtrack/score of all his films so far (close behind is Darjeeling Limited). There is so much going on in every respect and I'd definitely watch it again.
