THE LIFE AQUATIC WITH STEVE ZISSOU
***** out of *****

Genres
Adventure
Comedy
Drama

2004
Directed by
Wes Anderson
Written by
Wes Anderson & Noah Baumbach
Cast
Bill Murray .... Steve Zissou
Owen Wilson .... Ned Plimpton
Cate Blanchett .... Jane Winslett-Richardson
Anjelica Huston .... Eleanor Zissou
Willem Dafoe .... Klaus Daimler
Jeff Goldblum .... Alistair Hennessey
Michael Gambon .... Oseary Drakoulias
Noah Taylor .... Vladimir Wolodarsky
Bud Cort .... Bill Ubell

I’ve been a fan of director Wes Anderson since his first feature, 1996’s Bottle Rocket. I never got a chance to see the short of the same name but the minute I popped the DVD into my machine I immediately dug the man’s style. He followed Bottle Rocket with the enormously hailed comic masterpiece Rushmore in 1998, and the sublime The Royal Tenenbaums in 2001. Anderson’s understated, quirky style is often gigantic in scope, telling offbeat stories with a large ensemble cast with well-written, deep and developed characters. His stories center around the characters as the plots progress, which allows the audience to relate to the characters amid the silliness of the scenarios they are placed in, or better, scenarios they themselves are responsible for. It’s one element that makes his films so entertaining, Anderson also has a unique vision aided by his brother’s (Eric Chase Anderson) art and designs. The world of Wes Anderson comes to life in an very fairly tale storybook-like feel that’s grounded in a funny sort of reality, if that makes any sense…to put it mildly his films are very pretty to look at.

Some have referred to Anderson’s style as over-the-top subtlety, it’s an odd term but those that are fans of the films or have seen his work will understand what is meant by that statement. For those reading this who haven’t seen his work I’m sorry, but it’s genuinely difficult to place his films into a category. The obvious choice is comedy, but the films are also very heartfelt and touching in an idiosyncratic kind of way.

Upon its release The Life Aquatic with Steve Zissou garnered mixed reviews, fans and critics alike where divided. Some viewed the film as a masterpiece while other called it Anderson’s weakest film.

The Life Aquatic with Steve Zissou tells the story of internationally famous oceanographer Steve Zissou (Bill Murray) as he and his dedicated crew, ‘Team Zissou’, set sail on an expedition to hunt down the mysterious, elusive, possibly nonexistent Jaguar Shark that killed his partner and best friend Esteban (Seymour Cassel) during the documentary filming of their latest adventure. Over the last few years ‘Team Zissou’ have hit a rough patch and the current run of films just haven’t been popular. His competition Alistair Hennessey (Jeff Goldblum) is the current favorite media darling that Zissou once was. On the expedition they are joined by a young airline co-pilot, who may or may not be Zissou’s son Ned (Owen Wilson), the beautiful journalist Jane (Cate Blanchett) assigned to write a profile of Zissou, and his estranged wife and co-producer Eleanor (Anjelica Huston). They face overwhelming complications, including pirates, kidnapping, and bankruptcy, among other things.

Unlike Anderson’s previous films this is more an adventure yarn, applying his comic sensibilities to a larger scale. Yes this film was made with a bigger budget than his previous, the cast is no less than A-list and his locations and set designs are gigantic and over-the-top, so does that mean this cult favorite has sold out? No, because all the great elements that make a Wes Anderson film unique and enjoyable are still here. Primarily the wonderfully articulated characters that are the centerpiece to his films. As I mentioned before this film certainly divided people, all you have to do is read the comments in the forums under on the film’s IMDb page to see that.

The simple fact is that Anderson does not make films for the mainstream audience, it takes an acquired taste to enjoy the man’s work and a surreal and off-center sense of humor. At the heart of the film is Zissou played to perfection by Murray, his character is has an emotional complexity that evokes sympathy. Murray adds a depth that not many leading men can, and that’s evident in Zissou’s quirks. Murray’s experience and range as an actor adds another layer to his character that allows the audience to relate to the loss of his best friend and the discovery of his son, as well his need to venture out and enact revenge on the shark that killed Esteban.

The supporting cast have also done a superb job on this film, but none more so than Willem Dafoe who plays the cool, calm and collected German team member Klaus. Dafoe simply steals the show as the jealous and protective sidekick to Zissou who feels his position is in jeopardy when Zissou’s long lost son (or is he?) Ned (Owen Wilson, who plays the role of the naïve good hearted airline co-pilot to a pitch perfect degree), arrives on the scene to start a relationship with him. Each cast member is distinctively memorable, Anderson’s ability to cast the right people for the role is second to none it’s almost hard to imagine anyone else playing these characters. His comic timing and fresh style paved the way for some very funny scenes including the rescue of Zissou by Hennessey and Zissou’s first interview with Jane to name a few.

What review of this film wouldn’t be complete without a nod to the design and look of the underwater world, created in stop motion by animator Henry Selick, Anderson’s underwater world is like a wonderland of fun and crazy creatures. The stop motion effects used to bring them to life gives the undersea a different, almost organic, feeling. Considering that rhinestone fish, rainbow seahorses and Jaguar sharks inhabit this world is a testament to the genius of Selick.

Furthermore the film not only looks good thanks to cinematographer Robert Yeoman, but also sounds good thanks to Devo front man Mark Mothersbaugh who has created a musical language for the film that fits well, enhancing Anderson’s themes. Additional music was also used, including an original piece by the great Ennio Morricone as well as musical interludes of Bowie songs sung in Portuguese.

The Life Aqautic with Steve Zissou could be a bit tedious for some people, it does run for nearly two hours and is a bit lengthy for what it is. It’s not a film for everyone, but dedicated Anderson fans shouldn’t be disappointed. For those that are not entirely familiar with his work a rental would be wise before purchase.

Finger_Of_DOOM's reviews also appear on DVD Compare, where they include details of the DVD release. For this review click here.

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