The Best Wes Anderson Movies, Ranked

At the bottom of the pile, Asteroid City commits the ultimate cinema sin. There’s no two ways about it, I just find it plain boring. A story about UFO sightings, a quarantined city, and meteorite crash sites sounds like a fascinating tale. Yet it’s let down by overly stilted dialogue and sluggish pacing – the film is only just over 100 minutes long, but feels far longer. In addition, Anderson unfortunately fails to get the best out of his incredible ensemble cast and struggles to handle the ambitious story he’s crafted. 

What I do admire, though, is the film tackling heavy themes of grief and the ways humans deal with chaos and tragedy. For me, he only scratches the surface with this, but it’s still something tangible and meaningful compared to his more whimsical tone. I will also admit the production design is perhaps Anderson’s greatest, with stunning blues and yellows that bring the American deserts of the 1950s to life.

Sure, it’s not for me personally, but if you enjoyed recent movies like White Noise from Noah Baumbach or Ari Aster’s Beau Is Afraid, I think you’ll be able to tap into Asteroid City and appreciate what Anderson is striving for. Plus, it’s on Netflix, so if you are looking to watch all of his work, you’ll at least find it very easily.

While Bottle Rocket was a riveting and spectacular debut (more on that later), Anderson’s follow-up, Rushmore, lacks its energy and intrigue. In many ways, this film sows the early seeds of that gratuitous quirkiness that has come to tarnish Anderson’s work in recent years.

Though I find Rushmore to be tedious, pretentious, and sadly, none of its humour quite works for me, one of my friends has this as his favourite Wes Anderson movie, so you shouldn’t write it off without watching it at least once. I do think it’s a real shame that I couldn’t get on board with the film. What could have been an interesting idea seems to lose its way, muddied by the urge to be outlandish for the sake of it. Still, it’s only an hour and a half long, and it’s on Disney+, too, so maybe I should give it another go. If you enjoy the likes of Dead Poets Society, Lady Bird, and The Social Network, you’ll probably get on board with Rushmore.

The latest Wes Anderson movie has plenty of positives. Benicio del Toro is as superb as ever, the film looks breathtakingly beautiful (possibly the most visually pleasing of Anderson’s career), and there are some truly hilarious moments. But these positives are too few and far between in The Phoenician Scheme as Anderson fails to give us a story we can actually care about, leaving audiences wanting so much more on all fronts. When I saw this at the cinema, the first half an hour had me feeling like I could be watching a real return to form, but things sadly fall apart at the gorgeous, delicate seams in the second and third acts.

Those style-over-substance accusations are getting harder and harder to deny. There’s nothing necessarily wrong with The Phoenician Scheme, aside from the aforementioned story issues and the fact that it doesn’t quite utilise both Michael Cera and Benedict Cumberbatch as effectively as it could and should. Still, if you like the way Anderson plays around with various cameos, you’ll love spotting all the famous faces. At times, The Phoenician Scheme feels like Burn After Reading or Kinds of Kindness; it’s even got shades of Megalopolis about it, for better or worse. 

All in all, it’s a very ambitious picture, and one that will raise a few laughs. Remember, even watching a weaker Wes Anderson film is still usually a very good way to spend a couple of hours.

Anthology films are always hard to judge. Had Anderson opted to simply make a feature film expanding on the first segment, The Concrete Masterpiece, we would potentially be looking at one of his best-ever films. Benicio del Toro is outstanding as the enigmatic and unhinged artist at the heart of the tale, but Moses’s story is over far too soon. I’d give anything to see more of the gruff and grisly character and his oddly sweet chemistry with Lea Seydoux’s Simone; theirs is a truly intriguing tale, and it is the main reason I’ll be revisiting The French Dispatch in the near future.

The French Dispatch then moves on to Timothée Chalamet and Frances McDormand, who combine for a perfectly fine if unremarkable story of political rebellion. This chapter is by far the most typical of Anderson’s methodical and elaborate style, with an air of slapstick comedy juxtaposed with poetic dialogue. There’s no denying that Chalamet is captivating to watch (as always), providing us with the kind of character in Zeffirelli that we are eager to get to know better, and whose arrogant front belies a genuinely fascinating and impactful set of political ideologies. 

Sadly, The French Dispatch wraps up with a very stylish but underwhelming storytelling session from Jeffrey Wright. In short, this anthology ends up being less than the sum of its parts, but there’s enough in the first two stories to make it worthwhile, especially if you like it when Anderson takes on a more serious tone.

In this ranking of Wes Anderson movies, Moonrise Kingdom is the final divider between the very good and the very disappointing. There’s a lot to love about Anderson’s offbeat camping adventure, including heavily relying on child actors that pays off and then some, bringing a cute romantic tale to life. Ed Norton and Bruce Willis are fantastic as the more senior members of the cast, and the fact that this film helped make Jared Gilman – one of the funniest cinephiles on X – famous is worthy of celebration in itself.

In truth, there’s very little stopping Moonrise Kingdom from being higher up this list. Perhaps it merely lacks that splash of dynamism and energy that Anderson’s more effective work possesses, but that’s nitpicking a perfectly charming film. The only downside is that you’ll have to pay to rent it, as it’s currently not on any streaming services. But Moonrise Kingdom is totally worth the few pounds you’ll have to part with. Watch this one if you like films like Sing Street, The Florida Project, and Hunt for the Wilderpeople.

While not as strong as his previous stop-motion work on Fantastic Mr Fox (more on that one later, too), Isle of Dogs is still a masterful animated effort. What it lacks in warmth and whimsy, Isle of Dogs more than makes up for in its provocative messaging and slick technical elements. Almost ten years on from his first foray into the medium, it’s clear to see Anderson had evolved as an animated storyteller by this point, with cleaner visuals and a desire to spin a more mature tale.

There’s incredible worldbuilding on display here, too, as Anderson drops us into the vast and diverse fictional city of Megasaki. But it is the ensemble of voice actors that is the real triumph, with Bryan Cranston proving he’s more than just the one who knocks; he’s also the one who barks. I remember seeing this at the cinema with my brother and daughter when it first came out, and we’ve since rewatched it together and loved it all the same.

You can pinpoint The Life Aquatic with Steve Zissou as the start of Anderson’s affinity for the grandiose and extravagant. It’s a film rich with verve and visual flair, and it also introduced that off-kilter comedy he’s now renowned for. Obviously, having a cast that includes the likes of Willem Dafoe, Bill Murray, and Jeff Goldblum is always going to give you that magical balance of humour and charm.

It’s an absurd film, really, taking a mockumentary approach to riff on the life of famed French oceanographer, Jacques Cousteau (speaking of whom, you should totally watch the documentary Becoming Cousteau if you enjoy this film), and yet it all works so brilliantly. In many ways, this experimental effort could be the most important Wes Anderson movie of all, for what it stirred inside the filmmaker creatively. Give this one a go if you are into films like Captain Fantastic, Swiss Army Man, and The Peanut Butter Falcon.

If you enjoy the light and warm feeling Wes Anderson films give you, then prepare to be shocked by how cold and cynical The Royal Tenenbaums is. This is an incredibly raw and bleak story at times, with some truly harrowing moments that feel out of place in Anderson’s oeuvre now, and yet it all still works phenomenally well. When it’s funny, it’s laugh-out-loud hilarious, but when it veers towards the more emotional elements, it offers up a gutpunch or two.

Gene Hackman carries the film on his shoulders, which should come as no surprise, but the likes of Ben Stiller and Luke Wilson are outstanding in support. What’s interesting about this picture is that it’s the last time Anderson worked without the shackles of symmetry. That precision in his work is so often the source of success, but with The Royal Tenenbaums, he is firmly focused on story alone, and the film flourishes because of this. 

I was lucky enough to see this in the cinema recently, and it was predictably fantastic. But you can watch it on Disney+ at home. In fact, if you like Wes Anderson, having a subscription to the House of Mouse service is essential, as three-quarters of his work is on there.

As I’ve discussed, the biggest criticism sent Wes Anderson’s way is that his work is more style over substance. With The Darjeeling Limited, that’s certainly not the case. Of all Anderson’s work, this is his most powerful and poignant – you can feel how personal this story is to him. In fact, in an interview with Empire, Anderson explained how his fascination with India led him to travel the country with his collaborators, Jason Schwartzman and Roman Coppola, to research and write this movie. And, it has to be said, that authenticity really shines through.

Of course, there’s still that trademark eccentricity we know and love, but it all feeds into the highly cathartic conclusion. Schwartzman, Adrien Brody, and Owen Wilson have exceptional chemistry together, and it’s because of them that everything collides in such a satisfying way by the end. At just over 90 minutes long, The Darjeeling Limited is one of those rare movies that makes good use of every single second of screen time.

Anderson’s debut came almost 30 years ago now, but it still stands the test of time as one of his finest works. Bottle Rocket is a film brimming with confidence and swagger, and while it still leans into the comedic side of things, there’s also a real grit to this accomplished indie feature. It’s fascinating to think that Quentin Tarantino was making a name for himself around this time, as there are certainly shades of Pulp Fiction present in the way the story twists and turns while balancing humour and crime.

It’s so rare to see someone come out of the blocks firing on all cylinders in this way, but Anderson and his cohort deliver something truly special here. The Wilson brothers are in fine form, while Robert Musgrave offers up one of those lightning-in-a-bottle performances alongside them to steal the show. You’ll either have to rent this from Apple TV+ or sign up to BFI Player, but either way, it’s worth it. You simply cannot miss this early Wes Anderson movie.