3 Reasons Why You Need to Buy Asteroid City!

Wes Anderson has become one of Hollywood’s most recognisable and influential filmmakers of all time. His distinct style has been referenced, parodied, and downright copied for the best part of 30 years. Since his feature debut ‘Bottle Rocket’ in 1996, Anderson has made a name for himself with his quirky filmmaking stylings, that sees symmetrical shots in nearly every scene, to his funny, again quirk characters (a word you’re going to read in this blog post a lot), and his emotionally resonant stories, that always leave you with a feeling of melancholy when the credits begin to roll. His ability to attract an all-star cast is also admirable, as each of his films focuses more so on an ensemble rather than one or two characters. He has been a force in Hollywood for three decades, giving us classics such as Bottle Rocket, Rushmore, The Royal Tenenbaums, The Life Aquatic with Steve Zissou, The Darjeeling Limited, Fantastic Mr Fox, Moonrise Kingdom, The Grand Budapest Hotel, The Isle of Dogs, The French Dispatch and 2023s Asteroid City.

Asteroid City is Anderson’s latest feature film, again boasting an incredible, all-star cast. The film follows a playwright and his fictional story about a grieving father who travels to the famed Asteroid City, where he makes a discovery that will change his world and the world around him forever. As a fan of Anderson’s work, I was very excited to see this film, but when you add aliens into the mix, my anticipation was peaked! To celebrate the release of the film this November on DVD and Blu-Ray, I will be breaking down three reasons why you need to check out Asteroid City and add it to your movie collection. So, without further ado, lets get stuck into it!

“I call it, ‘Triple Orbit and Return- without Burning Up in the Atmosphere” – Wes Anderson’s signature style and creativity –

As I have mentioned, Wes Anderson’s style is distinct and so specific to his filmmaking, that it has become synonymous with his body of work and a trope of Indie filmmaking in general. Wes Anderson popularised his technique and style in the 1990s, continuing it throughout his body of work and perfecting it over the years. His style became the selling point of his movies and is a big reason he has found so much success. Asteroid City has this style are the forefront, from its marketing all the way down to each and every frame, it’s a Wes Anderson film through and through. The colour in this film is particularly gorgeous, with highly saturated colours making the retro costume designs from frequent Wes Anderson collaborator Milena Canonero (working on nearly all his films since The Life Aquatic with Steve Zissou) and desert setting really pop on screen. This all culminates in the finished product, making it look and feel gorgeous, appeasing the senses. If you’re a fan of the Wes Anderson aesthetic, Asteroid City is the perfect film for you as it contains all the hallmarks of his previous work and looks incredible.

“Humans don’t wilt” – The impressive ensemble cast –

As mentioned above, Wes Anderson has the ability to assemble one of the best casts imaginable. All of his films, have actors who he uses regularly, after building a strong rapport over the last 27 years. Asteroid City has Jason Schwartzman, Scarlett Johansson, Edward Norton, Tom Hanks, Jeffrey Wright, Tilda Swinton, Bryan Cranston, Adrien Brody, Live Schreiber, Steve Carrell, Jake Ryan, Margot Robbie, Willem Defoe, Maya Hawke, Rupert Friend, Stephen Park, Tony Revolori, Matt Dillon, Hang Chau, and Jeff Goldblum. Seeing a cast assembled like this for an original idea in 2023, is unheard of. It’s insane to think that all of these performers came together for a Wes Anderson, indie genre film, but it happened. Asteroid City marks his best cast to date, with heavyweights like Tom Hanks, Scarlett Johansson, Bryan Cranston, Steve Carrell and Margot Robbie joining the film alongside his regulars, is a feet in itself. Even if you haven’t been a fan of West Anderson’s films previously, with a cast like this, you just know you must check it out, just to see these actors all on screen together.

“Asteroid City. Farm Route Six, Mile 75.” – The fun, 1950s sci-fi setting –

The 1950’s sci-fi setting of Asteroid City is a huge reason this film works as well as it does.  Most of Wes Anderson’s films have always had a whimsical tone and almost fairy tale like story structure that reminds the audience that they are watching a movie. Its fantasy, grounded in reality, through its characters. Asteroid City follows this trend, by incorporating science-fiction into the storyline and delving into the weird and borderline paranormal. But it never goes too weird, still grounding itself in reality (as much as a Wes Anderson film ever does). The larger-than-life premise is just amplified through the gorgeous production design, from Anderson’s frequent collaborator, Adam Stockhausen (Moonrise Kingdom, Grand Budapest Hotel, Isle of Dogs, The French Dispatch and now Asteroid City). Stockhausen moulds his scenes around Anderson’s creativity and the two of them are able to just create worlds better than most. This level of attention to detail is a huge reason why the film works as well as it does.

Asteroid City is one of Wes Anderson’s most accessible films to date. He has created a fun, unique and interesting film, that explores the themes of family, technology, existence, and belief. The incredible cast, mixed with Anderson’s trademark style and aesthetic make this one of most enjoyable films of the year. If you’re on the fence about his films, this is the perfect film to get you on board.

Asteroid City is available now on DVD and Blu-Ray from Sanity, use the link below to secure your copy and shop Wes Anderson’s other films whilst you’re at it. Sign up to Sanity’s newsletter so you don’t miss another major release and for all things movies, music, merchandise, shop Sanity!

Long live physical media!

Buy Asteroid City on DVD or Blu-ray here

Christopher Pattison wrote this blog post for Sanity. See more from Chris here