Wednesday, March 02, 2005

The Life Aquatic with Steve Zissou

The Life Aquatic with Steve Zissou, the latest offering from enigmatic auteur Wes Anderson, takes up very much where his past ventures left off. Anderson staples Owen Wilson and Bill Murray provide yet another whimsical alternate-reality that is as touchingly human as it is refreshingly zany.

The plot revolves around the titular Zissou (Murray), an oceanographer/adventurer who is nearing the end of his career, and seeks revenge for the death of his partner, whilst simultaneously searching for connection with a son he never knew. Anderson, as usual, introduces his characters succinctly and perfectly – e.g., ‘posters’ of Zissou’s earlier films show the aging pompous star in an appropriately sympathetic, yet positively illuminating, light.

Rather than bore us with back-story, Anderson gets straight to the point – Ned (Wilson) shows up claiming to be (almost certainly) Zissou’s son; Eleanor (Huston) is Zissou’s long-suffering cleverer half; Jane (Blanchett) is the able foil to father and son as the pregnant journalist; ‘superstar oceanographer’ Hennessy (Goldblum) is his nemesis; and Klaus (Defoe) a comic German deck-hand. Such star quality belies the simplicity of the tale – Zissou seeks revenge for his partner’s death by shark, but really he seeks redemption and acceptance for his many years of avoidance.

Elaborate set-ups, (such as piracy, hostage taking and explosions), extend just a little too long, and somewhat undermine the truth of the story – even Murray seems vaguely uncomfortable with his momentary ‘Bond-in-a-wetsuit’ persona.

However, all in all, the movie lives up to any expectations resulting from previous Anderson fare – the chapter set-up of Tenenbaums is present, as well as the character introductions perfected in Rushmore. The Life Aquatic guarantees satisfaction for fans of Anderson’s style, as well as proving an able introduction to his fabulous world for first-time viewers.

Also viewable on the Film Ireland Website at http://filmireland.net/reviews/lifeaquatic.htm

1 comment:

al said...

excellent; get this published. you are a brilliant writter. absolutly right i have no criticisms well done great review!!!