His creative vision and direction give us one of his best. Benicio is solid gold (as always), surrounded by a galaxy of Hollywood stars deadpanning their way through Anderson's human fairy tale.
The plot strings together expositions of "high character" who battle each other for center stage. My pick for winner is Cumberbatch, who plays a villain of "Biblical" proportions. To me, this film has a better sense of continuity and purpose.
I don't know how Anderson maintains a consistent artistic vision that carries from project to project. He does love the square format and finds ways to utilize it to the max. His characters, usually not on screen long, serve their purpose and are gone. He has so many notables in his ensemble casts that I wonder if actors line up for scale as they once did for Woody?
Regardless, I really married this one.
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