In a recent nationwide survey studying the top leisure activities of cranky hipsters, “being sick of Wes Anderson” handily surpassed “pretending to like roller derby,” “complaining about Facebook,” and “(still) bemoaning the loss of Arrested Development to anyone who’ll listen.” No doubt survey results were affected, in large part, by The Darjeeling Limited, Anderson’s latest, which met with largely tepid response when it came out last fall—though at least part of the blame could be laid at the feet of The Life Aquatic with Steve Zissou, which also got a lot of flack and made a lot of people grumpy, and if you’re really going to get hoity-toity about it, there were hints of this—we should have seen it coming—as far back as The Royal Tenenbaums, which angered some people, as far as scientists can tell, simply because it wasn’t Rushmore.

Which is too bad, because as easy as it apparently is to hate on Anderson (“His sets are too pretty!” “His soundtracks are too good!”), The Darjeeling Limited is pretty damn impressive, perhaps more so on a second viewing that on the first. I liked Darjeeling well enough when I saw it in theaters, but I didn’t love it until I saw it on DVD, which works out alright, since the DVD came out on Tuesday.

The thing about Darjeeling, and maybe Anderson’s films in general, is this: Instead of trying to make one forget about the unavoidable artificiality of cinema, Anderson pretty much revels in it, making films that’re so intensely detailed and so intentionally cinematic that it’s impossible to ever forget you’re watching a movie. One way of looking at narrative film as an art form is to think of it as something transcendent--something that distracts you from your actual existence, transporting you wholly into a different, false world for an hour and a half. Another way to look at is a more clinical and removed, I guess: That by examining how film works and how audiences interact with it, filmmakers can create something that’s less convincing as an illusion, but ideally something that, while it's obviously fake, nevertheless deals with real emotions and identifiable characters.

Anderson’s firmly in the latter camp, there, which has earned him no small amount of shit, with the criticism steadily increasing with each film that his physical details are too overwhelming, his camera placement too distracting, his music too involved. All of these things occasionally take precedence over the story and the characters, Anderson’s critics insist, and therefore take away something from the act of watching his films. In some ways, they’re right--Anderson’s films have grown increasingly enamored with background detail, just as his emotional tone has grown increasingly dependent on his soundtrack choices. These things would be serious issues if you’re the type of filmgoer who insists on being transported into an artificial world with a minimum of real-world interruptions, or can't abide the notion of constantly being reminded of what Anderson's doing and how he's doing it. But for those willing to take a step back and observe Anderson’s works as carefully-tuned, intentionally beautiful creations, it’s worth noting that films like Darjeeling and Life Aquatic still retain an astonishing amount of emotional vigor. It's not so much about whether or not the soundtrack is too prominent or the set dressings too distracting; it's about how all of those things combine with good performances and storytelling to create films that don't feel like anything else out there. They're works of artifice, yes, but after rewatching Darjeeling, I'm tempted to say that just because something's intentionally, unforgettably artificial, that doesn't make it any less affecting or gorgeous.

The awkward, funny, and heartfelt Darjeeling's also interesting because of its structure, or lack thereof. The story of three brothers on an exotic "spiritual journey" is rambling and meandering (just like actual journeys usually are), and by the time the plot really starts kicking in, the movie's half over--and even then, plot elements start up and fade out, weave in and around and disappear, pop up without warning. The tone of the whole thing is somewhat detached--whether it's with the infinitely detailed props or the carefully executed slow-motion tracking shots or the self-conscious zooms--but it's always sympathetic to the characters and their states. It's an impressive, almost in-your-face style of filmmaking, but it all feels in service to the characters and the emotions. It works.

Almost all of Anderson's previous films are available via the Criterion Collection (the only one that isn't is Bottle Rocket, and there's a Criterion version of that coming out at some point), which makes it a shame that this release, by way of Fox Home Entertainment, is sadly lacking in the things that make Criterion's discs so awesome. Included with the film is Anderson's prequel short to Darjeeling, Hotel Chevalier (which, perhaps due to its length and/or focus, seems, in a few ways, to be a better film than Darjeeling), which can be watched either in front of the feature or separately. Also included is a 20-minute featurette, "The Darjeeling Limited Walking Tour," which is a scattershot, vague, fly-on-the-wall sort of mini-doc looking at the chaotic process of filmmaking in India and on a cramped, moving train. Unsurprisingly, production designer Mark Friedberg is the most prominently featured member of the cast and crew, though since the featurette doesn't deal exclusively with production design, it's not like we get a whole lot of insight into that, either. It's just half-assed, and the disc's failings grow even more obvious when compared with Anderson's exhaustive, well-rounded Criterion releases of Rushmore, Tenenbaums, and Life Aquatic.

The only other "special features" on here are the film's theatrical trailer and some other Fox Home Entertainment trailers (most notably a god-awful trailer for the ill-advised, long-delayed The Onion Movie, which looks like it's finally being shoveled onto DVD).

It kind of blows. This is a film that's well worth watching a second time, or more--there's a lot more going on here, in terms of both symbolism and characterization, than is evident with just a single viewing. But this DVD release feels lazy and minimal, almost intentionally so--so in other words, I'd be really surprised if this isn't just the first release of the film on DVD, with a more expansive, more worthwhile, and more expensive re-release already in the works. Which sucks for this release, but I suppose is good overall: The film deserves a lot more, and considering that there's obviously some demand for such things, hopefully there'll be a better release of this film down the line, and hopefully it'll be by Criterion.