Directed by Wes Anderson — Screenplay by Wes Anderson.
In 2023, Wes Anderson teamed up with Netflix to release four short films, all of which were based on the works of Roald Dahl, in September of that year. Eventually, one of these features — The Wonderful Story of Henry Sugar — was the effort that finally earned Wes Anderson his first Oscar, though in the short film category, which I don’t think many would’ve seen coming just a few years ago. Then, in 2024, following the Oscar win, Netflix released an anthology film consisting of Wes Anderson’s four short films. All four shorts feature heavy but quirky narration and the heavy stylization that we’ve come to know and love Wes Anderson for, though with slight tweaks from short to short. In this review, I’ll share my initial reaction to each of the four shorts, as well as give a final score out of ten for the repackaged anthology feature.
The Wonderful Story of Henry Sugar
Unsurprisingly, Wes Anderson’s great, ‘big’ Oscar-winning short is absolutely delightful. The breakneck pace of its motormouth read-through of the Roald Dahl story is inviting, gripping, and really fun. The gorgeous movable backdrops add production design dynamism that really does a lot for the film. Then there’s the cast, all of whom nail the style of Anderson’s effort, with Benedict Cumberbatch and Dev Patel, especially, feeling like perfect fits. I really loved this.
The Swan
Perhaps not exactly a change of pace from Sugar to this, but there’s definitely a slightly different approach, which may not be ideal for the subject matter. Here, Rupert Friend carries the entire narration and dialogue, doing different voices for each character. It’s a solid spotlight for Friend, but, I will say, I’m not sure the pacing of this and the one-actor-tells-all approach got the most out of this darker story. Don’t get me wrong, Anderson captures some haunting ideas and images here about childhood bullying, which are quite affecting, but I do feel like it wraps itself up a little too hastily.
The Rat Catcher
Like the others, it’s a strong short film from Anderson, which, regardless of the various films’ slight dissimilarities, always operates within Anderson’s well-known style. This one is far less dynamic, both in pace and in the set design changes, than Sugar or The Swan, but it does feature some great performance work from Ralph Fiennes as the titular rat catcher. Throughout, it is well-made, but it really livens up when Anderson, for a moment or two, flirts with horror, as I’ve seen others point out. Though not quite as strong as the previous two, it does have its moments.
Poison
Like Sugar, Poison features Patel and Cumberbatch in prominent roles, and, frankly, I think that, throughout these four, it’s their performances that I got the most joy out of seeing (with an honorable mention to Fiennes in The Rat Catcher). This short features a lot of visual creativity from Anderson, with the kind of variety in angles and perspectives that really speaks to me. The main reason why this one worked exceptionally well for me, though, was the level of tension Anderson poured into this. The pacing, Patel’s sped-up manner of speaking, and Cumberbatch’s intensity all help to set up the short’s excellent tense scenes to an extent that I found this to be utterly gripping. Like with The Swan, the short runtime and hasty pacing once more, however, left me with the feeling that Anderson didn’t fulfill the potential of the narrative’s final scene. Still, though, a great experience.
8 out of 10
– Reviews written by Jeffrey Rex Bertelsen.
I'm Jeffrey Rex 
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