Nominated for 213 awards and winning 125, this is an absolute gem of a film. It is a rare find that is perfect on every level. There simply can not be any doubt as to why the film won so many awards. The storytelling and humor is uniquely different! I was spellbound and mesmerized from beginning to end. Impeccable dialogue. A masterpiece! This is one of my all-time favorite movies.

This is simply another marvelously crafted piece, specifically the 8th, by auteur Wes Anderson, whose artistic flavor and ability manifest in its meticulously arranged camerawork and grandiose sets, the rich nature of the soundtrack, and the gliding pace, given even more vitality by the performances of a straight-up stupendous cast. The combined presentation is phenomenal, I'll argue. From the opening shot, all attention is placed on the scenery, a motley of color and positively baroque environments. From the floridity of the Grand Budapest Hotel to the brutalist nature of the prison, there's intense mise en scène all around; Wes Anderson did incrediblely well to build a world, boxy yet vast. All of this is well-framed under the lucid camerawork, a sort of hovering betta delicately absorbing both the most penitent scenes and most beautiful scenery at once as it follows the cast throughout, as they indulge in their eccentricity and plots, to the tune of the balalaika-heavy soundtrack, which can range from bubblingly mellow to bubblingly anxious. The acting is mostly underplayed but by no means diluted; the humor and general dialogue is executed in a natural yet purposeful cadence, coupled with fluid motion. I've had a couple of chortles watching, and was heavily invested throughout. I honestly can't recommend this enough. Now, issues some might have: The plot acts only as a vehicle for all other facets of the film itself, and by extension the characters may come across as superficial. I honestly don't view this as a defect; I figured the intention was to impress the audience with an absurd caper and enjoyed it greatly under that assumption. All the same, because of this, the film is sorta hit-or-miss, depending on what you're looking for or to resonate with. I suppose most of all Wes Anderson films are. Still, I recommend giving this a watch, if only to appreciate the style that penetrates this film immensely.

This film is the true definition of "you cant judge a book by its cover" because I genuinely believed I was going to hate this film when I originally saw it over 4 years ago. The experience of watching this film was breath-taking and stayed with me for ages and even still today its brings a smile to my face and a sense of enjoyment.Strangely before seeing the film I had not heard of Wes Anderson as a film maker, his name had never really come up before, however I would never forget his name afterwards. This film is truly remarkable start to finish, from the star studded cast to the fantastical journey this film takes, every part is immaculate. I was and am still astounded by the directing style of Anderson especially in this film, it fits so well with the story begin told and the time period. I have no idea the technical term for his camera movements and style but its quite unlike anything else I have ever seen still to this day. Absolutely incredibly achievement.The story is a fantastical adventure that has so many twists and turns, keeping the flow and the rhythm of the film at a perfect pace. In essence this film is a story of a hotel from the perspective of an long time employee/owner, set back against this magical wonderland that is perfect. The story does get very complex with all the moving parts and the amount of characters that are dotted throughout it, truly brilliant. The story is propelled by the incredible dialogue which is mesmerising, it is a fantastic mixture of language of the day with a modern twist here and there. Some of the wittiest dialogue I have ever heard. I cant imagine the time it took to come up with the script for this film.The cast are all superb nobody has an off day, there are some many names to chose from but there are a couple of standouts. Obviously Ralph Fiennes is truly remarkable and a role that was perfectly suited for him. It is straight to think because in theory the character doesn't really match up with what you expect with Fiennes, but wow is he incredible. Did he get nominated for any awards?? The other standout has to be Tony Revolori who is just brilliant as "Zero" witty but innocent at the same time, the character becomes more and more like Gustave H, (Fiennes), as the film progresses. Really good performance. The last two positives are the effects and the score. The effects used in this film to either show the landscape or the action scenes are purposely made to look dated as if the film was actually made during the time period. The skiing montage is truly fascinating as to how they achieved the look, the same must be said for Willem Dafoe riding on the motorbike. All of the landscapes of the film are like water paintings rather than a physical location or CG which only adds to the unique quirkiness of the film. The last positive is the score which is really good, quite haunting and sombre at the same time, the sort of thing that would be played at a funeral. (I'm taking about the choir part of the score).Overall 95% out of 100 or 9.5 out of 10, Wes Anderson has made a film that was break-taking and helped to form my own opinion about film. He still is on my radar still to this day as a director to look out for, saying that I didn't see "Isle of Dogs" oops. This film is for everyone and it will make you smile, laugh and cry. This is the reason why I love film, magically brilliant in all its quirkiness.

Offbeat, delightfully funny and at times even poignant. Incredible cast. Well written. This movie isn't for everyone but for those who get it, it's a piece of art. My only regret is that I didn't see it 4 years ago.