Blu-Ray Review: Moonrise Kingdom

Moonrise Kingdom is Wes Anderson’s latest acclaimed independent film, and it comes out tomorrow on DVD and Blu-ray. Read my review after the break.

Moonrise Kingdom takes place on a fictional New England island called New Penzance in 1965. 12 year-old Sam Shakusky (Jared Gilman) is a orphan who runs away from his Khaki Scouts summer camp with his pen pal Suzy Bishop (Kara Hayward). After they are found by the Scout Master (Edward Norton) and police Captain (Bruce Willis), the two troubled young lovers struggle to get back to each other.

Wes Anderson is the king of quirky films. From Rushmore to The Darjeeling Limited, Anderson has a very particular style that is hard to explain. His quiet approach helps to highlight his great cinematography and intricate look at flawed characters. However, I’m not not the biggest fan of this style. I found myself rather bored through the first half of the movie to the point that I had to take a break. Fortunately, the second half picks up the pace with funny action sequences and a more forward-driven story.

If you are a fan of Anderson’s style, this movie will be right up your alley. If not, give it a chance, because it grows on you. If you saw the film during it’s limited theatrical run, give us your review in the comments below.

Rating: 3/5

BONUS FEATURES EXCLUSIVE TO BLU-RAY™ : Unleash the power of your HDTV with perfect hi-def picture and perfect hi-def sound.

· UltraViolet™: The revolutionary new way for consumers to collect movies and TV shows, store them in the cloud, and instantly stream and download to TV’s, computers, tablets and smartphones. Consumers can now truly enjoy their movies anytime, anywhere on the platform of their choice. Currently available in the United States only.
· Digital Copy: Viewers can redeem a digital version of the full-length movie from a choice of retail partners to watch on an array of electronics and portable devices including computers, iPad®, iPhone®, iPod™ touch, Android™ and more!
BD-LIVE™: Access the BD-Live™ Center through your Internet-connected player to watch the latest trailers and more!
pocket BLU™ app: The groundbreaking pocket BLU™ app uses iPad®, iPhone®, iPod® touch, Android™, PC and Mac® to work seamlessly with a network-connected Blu-ray™ player. Plus iPad® and Android™ tablet owners can enjoy a new, enhanced edition of pocket BLU™ made especially to take advantage of the tablets’ larger screen and high resolution display. Consumers will be able to browse through a library of Blu-ray™ content and watch entertaining extras on-the-go in a way that’s bigger and better than ever before. pocket BLU™ offers advanced features such as:

Advanced Remote Control: A sleek, elegant new way to operate your Blu-ray™ player. Users can navigate through menus, playback and BD-Live™ functions with ease.
Video Timeline: Users can easily bring up the video timeline, allowing them to instantly access any point in the film.
Mobile-To-Go: Users can unlock a selection of bonus content with their Blu-ray™ discs to save to their device or to stream from anywhere there is a Wi-Fi network, enabling them to enjoy content on the go, anytime, anywhere.
Browse Titles: Users will have access to a complete list of pocket BLU™-enabled titles available and coming to
Blu-ray™ Hi-Def. They can view free previews and see what additional content is available to unlock on their device.
Keyboard: Entering data is fast and easy with your device’s intuitive keyboard.

· uHEAR™: Never miss another line of dialogue with this innovative feature that instantly skips back a few seconds on your
Blu-ray™ disc and turns on the subtitles to highlight what you missed.

BONUS FEATURES (BLU-RAY™ and DVD):

· A LOOK INSIDE MOONRISE KINGDOM
· WELCOME TO THE ISLAND OF NEW PENZANCE: Bob Balaban narrates a series of guided tours from the locations of Moonrise Kingdom featuring Bruce Willis, Edward Norton, Bill Murray, and Wes Anderson
· SET TOUR WITH BILL MURRAY: Bill Murray personally takes viewers on a tour of the Moonrise Kingdom sets.