Wes Anderson is known for his colorful and whimsical films like The Grand Budapest Hotel.
Director Roald Dahl's new film adaptation, The Wonderful Story of Henry Sugar, is now available on Netflix.
Here are the 12 best Wes Anderson films of all time, ranked by critics' consensus.
Director Wes Anderson is known for his colorful and whimsical films, which often involve generational family conflicts and lavish artistic locations.
His notable films include the 2013 Academy Award-winning film The Grand Budapest Hotel and the animated comedy Fantastic Mr. Fox 2009, based on Roald Dahl's beloved children's story.
Anderson's latest film, The Wonderful Story of Henry Sugar, adapts another story from the British author for Netflix and follows the release of his stellar quest Asteroid City. .
Over the years, some of Anderson's projects have been more critically acclaimed than others. Here are all of his films so far, according to the critical rating on Rotten Tomatoes.
The lowest rated director was “The Life Aquatic” in 2004, starring Steve Jessow.
Rotten tomatoes score: 57%
Summary: After protagonist Steve Jesso's (Bill Murray) wife is killed by a shark while working on a documentary, an oceanographer and his team decide to hunt the creature for revenge in The Life Aquatic with Steve Jesso.
The film is Anderson's only project to receive a negative review on Rotten Tomatoes, with many critics dismissing its sense of cynicism as moody and self-important.
Stephen Hunter wrote for the Washington Post. “[‘The Life Aquatic with Steve Ziso’] is more a collection of moments, many of them funny, than a consciously crafted story.
The three brothers came together in the 2007 film The Darjeeling Limited.
Rotten tomatoes grade: 69%
Brief Description: Darjeeling Limited revolves around three brothers played by Jason Schwartzman, Wayne Wilson and Adrien Brody. After years of not speaking, they decided to go to India together.
The film was a bit overrated for some critics, but the director's exciting and witty comedy still caught the attention of most.
“Darjeeling Limited” is not deep, wrote Washington Post critic Anne Hornaday. Its bawdy humor and obvious metaphors will provide plenty of material for Anderson's detractors (and those on the fence). » But they are nice and even if the Louis Vuitton bags are customized with the director. "The idea of introducing emotional baggage is a little risky, but it still feels great."
The newspaper drama "French Dispatch" divided contemporary critics.
Degree of rotten tomatoes: 75%
Summary: The French Dispatch follows an editorial team of French-American journalists in the 20th century as their newspaper faces imminent demise after the sudden death of its editor (Bill Murray) and revives three articles from the last issue. Help collect Francis. McDormand, Timothée Chalamet, Adrien Brody, Tilda Swinton and Léa Seydoux are included.
Like the director's previous works, the film was praised by critics for its subtle aesthetic, but criticized by others for the same reasons.
David Sims wrote for The Atlantic: "Anderson is so intent on stuffing every frame with innuendo and cramming the film's entire plot into every act that this 103-minute sprint feels like a marathon."
Asteroid City 2023 takes Anderson's meta-narrative to new heights.
Degree of rotten tomatoes: 75%
Summary: Asteroid City sees Anderson take his multi-layered narrative approach to new heights by creating a television documentary about the production of a play by the famous fictional playwright (Edward Norton). The comedy, about a widowed father (Jason Schwartzman) who is temporarily stranded in a small rural town after an alien visit, makes up the bulk of the film.
Due to its complex mechanism of shaping the story into a story, the film has been criticized as self-deprecating and disappointing by many critics.
Time magazine film critic Stephanie Zacharek described the film as "so harsh and aggressively stylized that it feels like it's only for the ultimate Anderson." Everyone has to be careful."
The director's 2001 tragicomedy "The Royal Tenenbaums" follows the main character's dysfunctional family.
Rotten tomatoes score: 81%
Synopsis: Royal Tenenbaums begins with the once-wealthy and ailing patriarch, Royal Tenenbaum (Gene Hackman), trying to reunite with his three "genius" children (played by Gwyneth Paltrow, Luke Wilson, and Ben Stiller) before his impending death.
Like many of the director's films, it has been praised for its quirky and stylistic aesthetic. Hackman, in particular, has been praised for giving The Royal Movies an adventurous look with his portrayal of the Royal character.
“If [Anderson] and Wilson love their actors, their characters, and their ideas too much to manage, they will at least make one of the most exciting and funniest films of the year,” Nathan Rubin told The AV Club. .
Anderson's film debut was in the 1996 crime comedy Bottle Rocket.
Rotten tomatoes score: 86%
Brief Description: The director's feature directorial debut, Bottle Rocket, follows a man named Anthony (Luke Wilson) who is released from a mental institution and decides to go on a crime spree with his friends (played by Owen Wilson and Robert Musgrave).
The comedy was well received by critics, who were blown away by its brilliant, deadpan sense of humor.
Kenneth Turan wrote for the Los Angeles Times. “The first album about three self-confident eccentric friends who turn criminally honest, Rocket is particularly refreshing because it never compromises its nuanced sensibility.”
His second film was the 1998 short story Rushmore.
Rotten tomatoes grade: 90%
Summary: In Rushmore, ambitious high school student Max Fisher (Jason Schwartzman) is expelled from his prestigious school and competes with his adult mentor (Bill Murray) for the affections of his elementary school teacher (Olivia Williams).
This independent film was a huge success thanks to its exceptional writing and lead performances.
Rushmore himself is an almost indefinable type. Suspenseful comedy, satirical love story? It's hard to say. Anderson, the director and co-writer, and Wilson, the co-writer, have a vision like no other. said Washington Post critic Desson Howe.
The director's 2018 comedy Isle of Dogs imagines a deserted island ruled by dogs.
Rotten tomatoes grade: 90%
Summary: In "Isle of Dogs," a young Japanese boy (voiced by Koyu Ranking) goes searching for his dog Scar (Liev Schreiber) when a dog flu outbreak causes all the dogs on the island to be quarantined.
Although the film received generally positive reviews, it was also criticized for alienating the audience and being shaped by Anderson's distorted view of Japan.
“It remains a more interesting idea or experiment than fully realized,” Mick LaSalle wrote in the San Francisco Chronicle. “We stand outside admiring the uniqueness and all the genius inside without going inside.”
The Grand Budapest Hotel is a 2014 crime film set in a luxury resort.
Rotten tomatoes score: 92%
Summary: Set in a European seaside resort in the 1930s between the world wars, The Grand Budapest Hotel follows the adventures of a concierge (Ralph Fiennes) and his friend Zero (Tony Revolori).
A more conventional film than the director's other films, The Grand Budapest Hotel has been praised for its combination of humor and underlying emotion.
Written by Andrew O. - He listens. For the hall.
Moonrise Kingdom is a coming-of-age comedy about two kids who fall in love.
Rotten tomatoes score: 93%
Summary: Moonrise Kingdom is about two 12-year-old boys (Sam (Jared Gelman) and Susie (Kara Hayward)) who fall in love and try to escape their home on a New England island in the face of a big storm.
This warm and poignant comedy has been praised for its combination of heart and Anderson's unique style.
“The charming and strange Moonrise Kingdom is set in a world where everything seems delightfully dull, where people read library books with cracked covers rather than e-books, and where young people are allowed to be truly innocent,” the Seattle Times wrote. References: Times critic. Moira Macdonald.
Animated comedy film Fantastic Mr. Anderson's 2009 Fox adaptation of the children's novel by Roald Dahl.
Rotten tomatoes score: 93%
Summary: Fantastic Mr. Fox stars George Clooney as a fox who gets into trouble with his wife (played by Meryl Streep) and his animal friends when he begins attacking a nearby human farm.
The film was Anderson's first feature-length animated film and was praised for its lively stop-motion style and appeal to adults and children.
Boston Globe critic Ty Burr said, "By avoiding real people, the director makes his film more likable and less disturbing—a piece of great comedic wisdom." “Other directors are drawn to children's stories when they have children. Anderson seems to have created it for his inner child.
Anderson's most famous film is The Marvelous Story of Henry Sugar, another adaptation of Dahl's film.
Rotten tomatoes grade: 96%
Summary: Netflix's approximately 40-minute The Wonderful Story of Henry Sugar is another anthology film that tells a variety of stories, but mostly focuses on the anti-hero (Benedict Cumberbatch) as he learns about a teacher who can see without him. He decides to master the art of playing cards.
“It is refreshing and refreshing to present Anderson's jewel-style parable about spiritual growth. His performance here is not deliberately eccentric, but completely focused. The format highlights Henry Sugar's content 'in a truly delicious way' by Glenn Kenny,” reviewer wrote for RogerEbert.com. .
Read the original article on Insider