Asteroid City review: ★ ★ ★ ☆ ☆ : Wes Anderson is one of the most innovative filmmakers of our time. While his sense of storytelling may not be for everyone, the star-studded cast and deadpan humor make any film he stars in truly stand out. And Asteroid city is no different. With a peculiar conflict, the film accelerates at a relentless pace to provide a glimpse into the lives of storytellers telling a story. Read on for our Asteroid city judgement.
Warning: this Asteroid city review will contain some minor spoilers.
Asteroid City Review needs to distinguish its meta-narrative
![Asteroid City review pistol.](https://nerdspin.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/09/asteroid-city-review-raygun.jpeg)
The main story of Asteroid city takes some getting used to. The events we see unfold in a fictional titular city of Asteroid City are actually those of a play. The story then shows the audience how the play itself came to be, by focusing on the writer Conrad (Edward Norton). And the story of the playwright and cast is told by the narrator (Bryan Cranston).
So in many ways. Asteroid city is like the story of how a storyteller wrote a play, and then the story of the play itself. It’s confusing, but the film explains it simplistically enough through the scenes that it doesn’t hinder the enjoyment of the film. Anderson also uses black and white cinematography for the meta moments during the making of the play, while the events of the play are in vibrant color. This further allows the audience to distinguish between the story of the piece and the making of the piece.
Asteroid City is neither science fiction nor comedy
![Asteroid City Review Hawke.](https://nerdspin.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/09/asteroid-city-review-hawke.jpeg)
The story of the play itself is that of a group of travelers who find themselves quarantined in a small town after an encounter with aliens. The group ranges from a recently widowed father and his four children coping with the loss of their mother. A wannabe actress (Scarlett Johansson) and her super smart daughter. A teacher (Maya Hawke) is on a field trip with her class. Some random cowboys. Not to mention the quirky military officer (Jeffrey Wright) gathered for an awards ceremony honoring some young geniuses.
While the film overall has some moments of serious drama and emotion, Asteroid city is a quirky comedy that goes to strange places. The twist of the alien encounter is absolutely hilarious, especially how disappointing it seems to the participants of the encounter. Deadpan comedy is a signature style of Wes Anderson’s films. And Asteroid city is all about the scandalous situations depicted through dry and witty delivery that makes the situations much more comical.
This Asteroid City review contains some spoilers
While it is difficult to spoil the film in this regard Asteroid city review, we will try to avoid them as much as possible. The film itself is really more of an experience than any blatant twists. The quirky and strange story is supported by a huge star cast with amazing talent. Jason Schwartzman plays the widowed father who struggles with the death of his wife. But a chance meeting with another parent also happened Scarlett Johansson creates a possible love connection. Schwartzman is wonderful in his disjointed sadness.
While Johansson adds a much-needed dramatic performance to the film. Johansson’s portrayal of a mother who is more concerned with her career and fame is brilliant. While I wish we got more of her, I feel like in the big cast shuffle we didn’t get enough Johansson.
The cast is being finalized Tom Hanks as a dutiful grandfather who tries to be there for his family after losing his daughter. Jeffrey Wright as the general dealing with the quarantine after the Alien encounter is hilarious as he tries to stick to the rules in a crazy situation. Bryan Cranston’s narrator has the best moment in the film, as he forgets the story he’s telling and pops up in the play itself.
The Verdict – A beautiful film that you can watch very quickly
![Asteroid City Review Wright.](https://nerdspin.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/09/asteroid-city-review-wright.jpeg)
While Asteroid city does have some issues, when it comes to pacing and some plot points, it is a very fast watch. The pacing is great and the story moves along in such a way that the minor hiccups remain just that: minor issues that don’t take away from the enjoyment of the film itself.
It’s worth seeing another Wes Anderson film in his signature quirky style, with brilliant visuals and an ensemble cast that doesn’t disappoint.
What were you thinking? Asteroid city? Let me know in the comments below or on Twitter (X) at @theshahshahid.
Rating: 3/5 stars