A brilliantly written essay, and I'm glad you like the film. I don't. I find Anderson increasingly smug, crossing the line between quirky and irritating. I did like Rushmore, Moonrise Kingdom, and especially The Grand Budapest Hotel, but lately I'm finding him increasingly insufferable. His films are meticulously constructed and look stunning, but production design in and of itself doesn't engage me, no matter how strong his auteur credentials might be. The French Dispatch had me losing patience, and with this one, I lost it completely.

My thoughts here in more depth, if you're intetested. :)

https://medium.com/simon-dillon-cinema/film-review-asteroid-city-83665aca8146