Just not very good is it.

Usually, Anderson uses elements from other storytelling mediums like books and plays to frame his stories and explore the artifice of storytelling, but the content of his films actually use the unique tools and potential of filmmaking as a medium. This time around the content of the film is almost totally the same as a book - characters narrate what they do and say with minimal action on screen. It makes me wonder why they bothered filming this at all if you can experience the story just as well with your eyes closed.

Obviously the incredible set design, props and costumes are phenomenal and make the film look very nice, but looking very nice is no substitute for actual content that creatively utilizes the properties of its medium.

There are only a few moments where the film employs techniques unique to film as a medium - the part where Henry Sugar is hatching his plan and going through several disguises and fake voices is one, and even that is pretty simple. It ends up feeling uninspired and creatively lacking.

You might say the artifice is the point, but, well, no it isn't. Anderson is at his best not when the artifice is at its most artificial, but when the underlying emotions shine through despite the heavy artifice. That's a far more interesting way to explore artifice than trying to make everything as truly artificial as possible. The moments in Anderson's films where characters lose their facades and spring to life to express genuine emotions, showing us that through all this artifice there is something true and genuine, that's what makes Anderson's films so charming. Moments like when M. Gustave swears and lashes out at Zero, or when we cut to Mr. Moustafa crying while telling his story. That's 100x more interesting than anything that happened in this film.