Is Wes Anderson empty and twee or vital and virtuosic?

The idiosyncratic Texan director is one of the most polarising figures in cinema, writes Louis Chilton. 'Asteroid City', his latest offering, typifies exactly why some people are put off him - and why he's still such a talked about filmmaker

- Louis Chilton

"Let's go see the new Wes Anderson film." To some people, these eight words sound like the sure promise of a great time. To others, a violent threat. When it comes to filmmakers, few, if any, are as likely to elicit a strong reaction as the 54-year-old Texan. Through films such as The Royal Tenenbaums, Moonrise Kingdom and The Grand Budapest Hotel, Anderson has developed a singular style – his films are often compared to dollhouses – much parodied but never replicated. Admirers laud him as a giant of the medium; detractors find the smothering artifice of his style twee and airless. Asteroid City, Anderson’s latest offering, exemplifies exactly why people are so reflexively put off his oeuvre. But it also shows exactly why he’s so vital.

Perhaps the main criticism of Anderson is the supposed frigidity of his films, the way his characters seldom betray their emotions, even in the throes of inner crisis. This is true of