Known for his quirky characters and photocard-esque filmmaking style, Wes Anderson returns to cinemas with his latest film, “The Phoenician Scheme”. Since his first film, “Bottle Rocket”, nearly 30 years ago, Wes Anderson has become a staple of the modern American filmmaking landscape. Anderson is a filmmaker who often explores themes of family, grief, and the human condition through symmetrical cinematography. Anderson is a filmmaker who knows how to blend the tragedy and beauty of the world in a way that feels effortless. With every new film Anderson releases, he continues to prove himself as one of the most unique filmmakers working today. Here are five of the best films that Anderson has made over the past three decades.
5. The Life Aquatic With Steve Zissou (2004)
“Life Aquatic” has always felt like a new chapter in the Anderson filmography. It is his first film that does not feel grounded in everyday life, the way that his previous films feel. It is more fantastical and is the first time his film starts to have that diorama feel that would go on to dominate the rest of his career.
In terms of “Life Aquatic’s” core themes and messages, it is nothing new for Anderson at this point in his career. It is another film about a distant father and his complicated relationship with his child. Even if the story feels a bit familiar, “Life Aquatic” pushes the boundaries of what Anderson can do in a filmmaking space in a real way. It might not be the most popular film in his catalogue, but we do not get the Wes Anderson we have today without this film.
4.Rushmore (1998)
One of the most unique aspects of Anderson’s career is that most of his films feel like personal reflections about himself or his career. “Rushmore,” being his sophomore film, is the first time he seems to express his inner turmoil; there is an argument that it is the best example of this exercise.
“Rushmore” follows Max Fischer (Jason Schwartzman), a gifted teenage playwright with wild ambitions. This prep-school drama shows some of the earliest hallmarks of how Anderson writes his characters, dialogue, and the actors that he chooses to work with.
What differentiates “Rushmore” from many of the other films that follow is how Anderson shows his angst towards the world. Anderson is known to have gorgeous sets and cinematography in all of his films, but behind those pretty images is a lot of cynicism regarding relationships, family, and more. All of that is on full display here, and while it is not the angriest he will ever get in his films, it is the least subtle of his work.
3. The Royal Tenenbaums (2001)
“The Royal Tenenbaums” will likely go down as the best exploration of family dynamics in Anderson’s career. We follow Royal Tenenbaum (Gene Hackman) and his three children, who all lead complicated and messy lives in their own ways.
It is a very honest and real look at how Anderson was doing at this point in his life, which is the aspect of the film that has aged the best. Internal struggles with families are a part of the human experience, which is what makes “The Royal Tenenbaums” so timeless, regardless of the film’s exaggerations.
While Anderson made splashes with “Rushmore” and “Bottle Rocket”, his third film feels like the moment he truly became a force to be reckoned with. In retrospect, “Tenenbaums” feels rather small in scale compared to the films that would come next, but this shows the real beginnings of a new modern auteur filmmaker.
2. Moonrise Kingdom (2012)
Set in 1965, “Moonrise Kingdom” follows the story of two runaways, Sam and Suzie, as they fall in love. Sam is an orphan and a misfit boy scout. Suzy is a girl who likes records, science fiction, and is distant from her family. The protagonists are out of place in their environments, which is what brings them together. This adventurous tale of childhood romance is one of the few times that Anderson has set his film around a group of younger people. This choice allows the child-like wonder that fills movies to thrive.
“Moonrise Kingdom” might be the Wes Anderson film that feels most like a dream. Everything from the bright color pallets, the way the characters speak with each other, and how they seem to be the only people who occupy the film’s space. The films from Anderson are filmed to the brim with ensemble casts of quirky and bright characters played by notable actors; while the ensemble in “Moonrise Kingdom” might not be the go-to cast, it is certainly an underrated and charming choice.
1.Fantastic Mr. Fox (2009)
This Roald Dahl adaptation is Anderson’s first venture into stop motion animation. There are a few modern filmmakers who are able to jump back and forth between animation and live-action films as seamlessly as Anderson is able to. It is a true testament to his work as an artist.
“Fantastic Mr. Fox” features a lot of the same hallmarks as his other films; there is a heist, and our protagonist, Mr. Fox, has a complicated relationship with his family. While the story might feel exactly like something that would come from the Wes Anderson machine, it is so much more than that. It features some incredible stop motion animation as well as some of the most effective comedy to come out of a Wes Anderson film to date. It is what Wes Anderson does best as a filmmaker, while also pushing the boundaries of his craft forward, that makes “Fantastic Mr. Fox” the best film in his career.