*WARNING: Mild spoilers for Asteroid City*
Movies are a peculiar phenomena. For what are they if not wondrous creations dancing somewhere between art and entertainment, all the while offering the briefest glimpse into one of many imaginary worlds? But that's always the challenge for any creator isn't it; the perilous dance? Because it’s this very dance that will determine not only the message of the movie, the degree of the message's expression, but also the film's entertainment value. But strangely the promise of the dance makes no further promise that it will be entertaining, moving, or thought provoking, but only that it has an intention to be. So then what is one to make of Asteroid City? For although it tickles the senses with poppy pastels, quirky characters, and an intriguing veil of mysterium (and all quite well, mind you), does that make it any sort of "good" or give it any relevance? Let's get into it.
So, Asteroid City is a film about a T.V. broadcast about a playwright writing a play called Asteroid City, which is telling the story of several lost souls struggling with some form of grief amidst a The Junior Stargazer/Space Cadet Convention taking place in the small, desert town of (you guessed it) Asteroid City. However, after a brief visit from an alien traveler, the town is sent into lockdown, leaving all in attendance riddled with questions about themselves and their understanding of life.
If that sounds like a lot that's because it is, but I promise seeing the concept play out is much easier to interpret than trying to explain it. That being said, although the meta story within a story is easy enough to understand, what that story is saying or even what the story is, may be lost on many viewers. Because the reality is that this film, not only seems to be trying to deconstruct the idea of a story, but for most of its runtime, it feels utterly dry and boring; or at least it may for any non-hardcore Wes Anderson fans.
Now this isn't to say that film isn't giving an effort and in many ways succeeding. The colors, sets, and cinematography are nothing short of a consistent visual delight. There are also some bright spots of humor delivered by the star studded cast (especially Jeffrey Wright), all of which are putting on good performances. But it's the story that suffers in all of this as very little of substance ever really takes place. Stuff does indeed happen but outside of the alien visitation and the thought of "where the hell is all of this going," there's hardly anything story-wise to hold a viewer's interest. Add onto that that there are perhaps too many characters pulling focus, all of which speak with the same quirky, but nonetheless deadpan cadence. This painfully restricts the film to very little emotional change or variety and makes conversations feel like a slog after a while. Now that isn't to say that the dialogue isn't at any point interesting or relevant, but because of its delivery coupled with an extremely loose, meta narrative, it just fails to engage its viewer.
I've brought up the meta narrative and story deconstruction a few times now and I just want to offer some clarification. The film clearly has a plot or rather two: Plot 1 is about how the Asteroid City play and production came together and played out. Plot 2 is the actual play acted out. But as the movie weaves between the two plots, it doesn't really bring them together in a cohesive or interesting enough way to drive home its point/ story. There is even a point in Plot 1 when one of the play's stars actively says they don't know the point of the play they are acting in. This may be trying to echo how the characters in Plot 2 feel when they all begin to question their personal and grander meaning to life after coming into contact with the alien. What does all this, i.e. life, mean when aliens and the grander cosmos exist? What's the point?
The final cherry on top of all of this is the mantra of "You cannot wake up if you never fall asleep," that appears more towards the end of the film. Given its context, which I will not spoil, it has been surmised that it translates to, "One cannot understand or know the meaning of life without dying." If that is true, then it does more strongly tie the narrative paths of both Plots 1 and 2 together. That being said, I don't believe that matters because the movie is too boring to allow for that depth of consideration. And those who do think that deeply about Asteroid City I feel either are die-hard Wes Anderson fans OR people who desperately want to find some shred of meaning in their most recently wasted 2 hours of life.
Asteroid City is by no stretch of the imagination a poorly made film. Production, acting, and craft are on full display here and overall I do like and appreciate the idea of this film and what it's trying to do. It's just a shame it doesn't translate to anything overly interesting or enjoyable in its narrative execution. I think a simple way of saying it is that it's a potentially interesting piece of art, but not a good movie. If you're looking for something more captivating from Wes Anderson, go with Moonrise Kingdom, Grand Budapest Hotel, Isle of Dogs, or one of his many other films, because Asteroid City is nothing more than a "different" dance that will certainly fail to dazzle.
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