Director Wes Anderson decided to take 4 of Roald Dahl’s stories and make short films. The actors in one or more of them include Ralph Finnes, Benedict Cumbertatch, Dev Patel, Ben Kingsley & Rupert Friend. They recite Dahl’s text directly to camera with the action takes place much like a stage play with moving set pieces and a stage hand helping with props. Since they’re directed by Anderson, they all have that formal, symmetrical, quirky style that’s his trademark. Since they’re short and have to develop more quickly, they seem less precious and more perky. Here’s a brief rundown of each:
The Wonderful Story of Henry Sugar When a man discovers another man who can see without his eyes, he determines to master the technique so he can win at gambling. Since this one is 39 minutes, it takes more time to develop, while still telling a unique story. (The other 3 are 17 minutes each.)
The Swan A boy is bullied, but there’s not really a happy ending, so this one is a bit of a shaggy “swan” story.
The Rat Catcher A professional exterminator is hired to eliminate a rat. Creepy, but the stop-motion rat recalls his Fantastic Mr Fox animation.
Poison A man wakes up to discover a deadly snake coiled under his PJs. Perhaps because of the life-or-death situation, this one seemed to be the most urgent and consequently well-paced.
Overall, these are interesting little experiments. An opportunity for Anderson to express his stylized style in short bursts, which makes them enjoyably quirky.
(3.5 / 5) The titles also include the Netflix links.