'The Grand Budapest Hotel' Review (with GIF's!)

Greetings again my readers! Obviously today it seems that I will be reviewing the new Wes Anderson movie, 'The Grand Budapest Hotel'. Going in, I literally knew nothing about the film. Walking out however? That's a different story. Was it worth the $16 I paid for the movie ticket? You'll just have to read on and see.

Like pretty much all the movies I've reviewed on my blog so far, I thoroughly enjoyed this. I honestly had no idea what it was about to begin with. My mother dragged me to the movie theatres for an outing, and I really didn't know what to expect (especially considering the dubious taste of my parents). The only clues I was given in regards to the plot were '1930's', 'murder' and 'Voldemort', which really weren't very helpful at all. I was honestly going in there expecting a dramatisation of some sort of Agatha Christie, Harry Potter crossover fanfiction. However, despite my initial hesitance, I thought this quirky little motion picture was outstandingly awesome.

The movie begins as a teenage girl approaches a monument dedicated to a writer (penned as 'The Author', played by Tom Wilkinson), carrying with her his memoir containing a recount of his trip to 'The Grand Budapest Hotel' in 1968.

We now see 'The Author' in his younger years (Jude Law) talking to the elderly owner of the now run-down Grand Budapest, Zero Moustafa (F. Murray Abraham), as he gives an account of how he got ownership of the hotel.

Once again, we are taken to a different time zone, this time in 1932, one of the last few years of the hotel's peak. We see a young Zero (Tony Revolori) working in the hotel as a Lobby Boy under the tutelage of legendary concierge Monsieur Gustave (Ralph Fiennes, aka the guy who plays Voldemort). Gustave, despite his deceptively flamboyant demeanour, is known for his skirt chasing, catering for the over 70's crowd with what he deems to be 'exceptional service'. Among these women is Madame D (Tilda Swinton), whom he seems to be rather fond of.

In the event of her death under mysterious circumstances, Gustave is called to attend the reading of her will (Zero invited to tag along), where it is revealed that he will be receiving her most prized, and more importantly, most valuable possession, a painting by the name of 'Boy With Apple'. Obviously, her family (whom she was never close to in the slightest) is rather displeased with this result to say the least. So how do you they go about claiming this beloved artwork as their own? By framing Gustave for her murder of course. For the remainder of the film, action ensues in the form of an elaborate prison escape, the suspenseful hunting of violent thug J.G Jopling (Willem Dafoe), and the introduction of Zero's love interest, Agatha (Saoirse Ronan).  

To avoid the wrath of violently angry readers, I will leave the plot retelling there in order to stop myself from revealing any major spoilers. 

As I said before, I thought this movie was super impressive. The attention to detail throughout the film was amazing, every element in each scene meticulously placed with intent and purpose. It seems that Anderson has a habit of being a bit obsessive compulsive in his scene arrangement, which I guess really payed off. The set was just stunning, the rich colours and elaborate furnishings making the film visually exquisite (and all kinds of awesome). It's such a positive review already, and this is before I've even got to the acting!

Just like the rest of the film, the acting happens to be truly epic. Everyone embodies their character perfectly, providing effortless comedic timing as well as displaying emotional depth. What was also really refreshing about the film was the fact that everyone had their own accents. There was no attempt to standardise the nationality of the movie, making it natural and a lot more enjoyable to watch. Plus, the movie was just really funny and awesome. 

I'm going to have to warn you now, some people die throughout the course of the movie. I know what you're thinking, 'but you said it was a comedy', and I'm not taking that back, it most definitely is. If you're one of those people who gets overly emotional at the death of an ant, than perhaps these deaths may bother you. However if you are able to keep your feelings in check like a normal, emotionally stable human, then you should be fine. The majority of the deaths are almost handled flippantly. Just take the demise of this feline for instance:

All in all, I highly suggest you go out and see 'The Grand Budapest Hotel' as soon as possible while it's still at the movies. If you've got a really straight sense of humour (or no sense of humour at all) and are rather conservative, then perhaps give it a miss, but if you're open to quirky and zany films, this one's definitely for you. The plot's engaging, the acting was amazing, and the writing is superb, what's not to like?

You've now officially reached the end of the review, congrats! I can say without a doubt that this blog post wasn't motivated by any sort of bias at all, so I genuinely highly suggest you go out and buy a movie ticket now. Go and live your lives readers! Til' next time . . .

Annabel xx