steroid City” examines the creation, production, and visual representations of the highly successful play by renowned writer Conrad Earp (Edward Norton). A host (Bryan Cranston) offers tidbits of behind-the-scenes trivia regarding the inception and creative process of the long-running show and its eccentric director Schubert Green (Adrien Brody), while the action plays out by actors performing against the backdrop of the dusty desert town. It is September, 1955, and photographer Augie Steenbeck (Jason Schwartzman) and his four children arrive in Asteroid City for the annual Asteroid Day, celebrating both the moment 5,000 years ago when the Arid Plains Meteorite landed, as well as honoring several gifted students in various fields of science. Augie’s son Woodrow (Jake Ryan) is one such “brainiac” being commended, alongside the daughter (Grace Edwards) of famous movie star Midge Campbell (Scarlett Johansson). A class of junior stargazers taught by teacher June (Maya Hawke), a congregation of cowboy musicians fronted by Montana (Rupert Friend), a company of soldiers commanded by General Grif Gibson (Jeffrey Wright), and a department of scientists led by Dr. Hickenlooper (Tilda Swinton) round out the participants and spectators of an event that will unexpectedly change all of their lives forever.

“There is little amusement to be had watching a man type …” mentions the narrator, though this is exactly the sort of thing that happens, quite regularly, within “Asteroid City.” As a sort of deconstruction of a play – and then its pseudo-live-presentation – Wes Anderson’s latest comedy-drama boasts all of the director’s signature hallmarks. It’s as colorful as ever, utilizing high-contrast costuming and sets; unusually flat, distinctively shot cinematography features an abundance of horizontal pans and slow zoom-ins and zoom-outs; actors move across the frame or appear perfectly placed within the edges, almost always with background elements sharp and un-blurred; and the cast is massive, boasting countless stars, many of whom are instantly recognizable yet barely have more than a scene or two to leave an impression. Plus, the details are innumerable and the dialogue is continuous.

Also of note is the dry, blunt humor, which comes across as alien-like at times, particularly when it permeates emotions and interactions. And with its story-within-a-story narrative (at times going even a step further with story-within-a-story-within-a-story scenes, such as when the general of the U.S. Military-Science Research & Experimentation Division gives a speech, or when a local scientist speaks of her earlier days) and demarcated acts, it’s all exceptionally – though expectedly – quirky. Self-referential jabs and fourth-wall breaks contribute to the loose storytelling framework as well.

It’s continually intriguing to guess where the story is going, but none of the enthralling scenarios seen in Anderson’s other recent works – particularly “The Grand Budapest Hotel,” “Isle of Dogs,” or even some of the vignettes from “The French Dispatch” – ever make an appearance. Odd occurrences, idiosyncratic interplay, and curious conversations abound, but little of it is genuinely moving or exciting; the substance here is conspicuously lacking, even with its decided unpredictability. A few poetic observations and poignant relationships arise, yet the bulk of “Asteroid City” is inexplicable, strange stuff, which regularly feels as if an experimental picture rather than a cohesive, intentional, specifically-designed movie.

“I still don’t understand the play.” Whether or not the film actually ponders the secrets of the universe or the meaning of life, capturing Anderson’s musings on a fanciful time, place, and mood, is largely irrelevant; it doesn’t come across as a concrete exhibition of inventions or even familial lessons – despite the fact that the lead role is struggling with love (and the lack thereof from his father-in-law), loss, and the ability to effectively communicate with his children. Instead, it’s a collection of trivial experiences, with typical Andersonesque characters doing Andersonesque activities in Andersonesque environments (on some occasions, it seems as if the director is merely attempting to copy his own filmic stylizations from the past, unable to find the fresh wit and spark that generally make his tales so exuberant). And it’s also perhaps the least humorous of all of his projects; laugh-out-loud moments are practically nonexistent, which is most disappointing of all.

– The Massie Twins