The Life Aquatic with Steve Zissou

About half an hour into The Life Aquatic with Steve Zissou, I was feeling very let down. Wes Anderson is a fantastic director, but the first half hour of his new movie at first appears quite disappointing. Luckily, it's not - in fact, it's one of the best films of the year. It just takes a while to get going.

The lead role of Steve Zissou was written with Murray in mind, and no-one could have pulled it off better than him. He manages to be hilarious, quirky and heartbreaking all at the same time, and his character is so loveable you just feel like hugging him for the duration of the film. Owen Wilson, as Zissou's might-be son, is less instantly likeable but grows on you gradually, and has some very funnny moments. The cast also includes a surprisingly funny Cate Blanchett, and a brilliant but underused Willem Dafoe. Jeff Goldblum and Anjelica Huston also show up for little more than extended cameos.


The film uses impressive animation and visual effects for creating the various aquatic creatures Zissou and his team come across, and there are moments in the film that are truly beautiful, the most beautiful scene coming near the end. The shaky camerawork is utilised well, especially in the fast-moving action scenes.

As the action of the film becomes more and more ridiculous (not that it was ever supposed to be realistic), the film only gets more and more fun. This is what entertainment is really about - action scenes so amazingly implausible, they'll have you in stiches in no time. But no matter how quirky his characters are, Anderson always manages to make them likeable, and you'll be cheering on Zissou and his team during every moment of their daring exploits. You'll also be taken by surprise at the deeply touching conclusion to the film. All in all, not a bad day out. ****1/2 out of 5.