The Popkorn Junkie :: The Life Aquatic With Steve Zissou

      It is official -- Wes Anderson is my favorite director working today. "Rushmore" remains one of my favorite films of all-time, and re-introduced a whole new generation to the genius that is Bill Murray. "The Royal Tenenbaums" was the most unusual, yet wholly redeeming film of the past few years, and was a testament to the great Gene Hackman. Now, we have "The Life Aquatic With Steve Zissou" -- Anderson's most wholly accessible film, and his most accomplished. Here, he tackles everything from fatherhood to vanity, and even manages to throw in pirates and dolphins for added measure. The result is a marvelous new motion picture that gives Bill Murray yet another achievement, and gave me the best film of 2004. "The Life Aquatic With Steve Zissou" is hilarious, heartbreaking, and completely and totally enjoyable. This is what great movies are all about.

      Bill Murray, fresh off his amazing performance in "Lost In Translation", stars as famed oceanographer Captain Steve Zissou, an expert on all things marine life. We first find Steve after the death of his beloved friend and partner, Esteban (Seymour Cassel), who was unexpectedly eaten by something Zissou calls a jaguar shark. Steve then declares that he will set out to find the shark that devoured his closest companion, stating 'revenge' as the scientific purpose of the mission. Accompanying him on the voyage are Ned (Owen Wilson), someone who may or may not be his son of thirty years; Claire, a reporter who is wanting to put Steve on the cover of her magazine; and, Klaus (Willem Dafoe), Steve's longtime shipmate who seems to be German. Anjelica Huston stars as Steve's financially superior wife Eleanor, and Jeff Goldblum as his oceanographic rival Alistair Hennessy. The majority of the film deals with Team Zissou obtaining the funding for the expedition, and the expedition itself, which quickly turns into a new expedition altogether when pirates attack the ship and the ban stooge (Bud Cort) is taken hostage.

      "The Life Aquatic With Steve Zissou" takes place somewhere between fantasy and reality, which is the case of all Wes Anderson pictures. Many of the locations and all of the sea creatures in this film are totally out of Anderson's imagination. Most of the scenes are filmed the way old oceanographic films were made; this is done purposely and adds a nice affect. Some of the marine life -- the seahorses and the fluorescent pink groupers -- are beautiful and completely fake looking at the same time. Does this matter? No. We are so absorbed with the story and the characters that we don't care what the marine animals look like. The Belafonte itself is something out of a dream -- rooms that connect together until the ship itself almost feels like one large room. Anything an oceanographer ever dreamt of having or seeing is somewhere in this picture. Jacques Cousteau -- eat your heart out.

      And, as in most Wes Anderson pictures, the performances are rock solid. Anderson has this knack for writing some of the most dry and sincere dialogue out there. His character confront issues in such a straight forward manner, as when Owen Wilson is is talking to Cate Blanchett about his mother -- it is so blunt it almost seems shocking. Bill Murray is nothing short of amazing as Steve Zissou -- displaying a wide range of emotions. Watch Murray at the end of the film, while the entire cast is inside the mini-sub -- watch his facial expressions and his eyes when he starts to break down. Wow. Owen Wilson is also delightful here, giving us a taste of a Kentucky accent and a very acute sense of comic timing. Cate Blanchett also manages to take a supporting character and really give her depth and emotion -- she continues to amaze with each new performance. Apart, these performances are solid enough; but, in the ensemble, they are only tiny miracles that make up the whole of the larger miracle.

     If only every character could be as emotionally rich and intriguing as Steve Zissou. He is someone that you love one minute and then hate the next. He is a genius. He is a bastard. He is dedicated. He is a real prick. Murray manages to blend all of this together into someone who ends up feeling like a giant amongst mere mortals. "The Life Aquatic With Steve Zissou" is flawless filmmaking, from beginning to end, and really makes it known that Wes Anderson is a force with which to be reckoned...and it certainly appears as if he is here to stay. You know it is a good sign when a majority of the audience applauds when the credits start to roll, and that is what happened here. That did not happen for "Kinsey". That did not happen for "The Motorcycle Diaries". And, I am proud to say that I was one of the audience members rhyming hand in hand with everyone else.

-- Billy Ray ( 4 out of 4 pops )

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Other Junkie's opinions.....

Mike ( 3 out of 4 pops )

I don't know about this movie. I got engrossed in the story, liked the performances and I'm pretty sure I liked it. But the movie just isn't very funny and is much more of a serious story than I had anticipated. I never thought I would not hardly chuckle watching this movie. If you are looking for a sly, funny film like Wes Anderson's The Royal Tenebaums, this isn't the film for you. But if you like a quirky story with interesting characters and with stunning visuals, then this IS the movie for you.