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The Life Aquatic with Steve Zissou

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Retro Film Review: The Life Aquatic with Steve Zissou (2004)@drax833d

(source: tmdb.org)

Despite all the continents having been discovered and almost all territories being mapped, the 20th Century boasted its fair share of remarkable explorers. Among the most renowned was Jacques Cousteau (1910 - 1997), a French naval officer whose passion for undersea exploration was matched only by his filmmaking prowess. He produced a vast array of undersea documentaries, establishing himself as one of the foremost scientific figures of the 20th Century. Numerous artists paid tribute to him, including John Denver in one of his songs. However, the most striking homage to date is found in The Life Aquatic with Steve Zissou, a 2004 comedy directed by Wes Anderson.

The central character in the film is Steve Zissou (portrayed by Bill Murray), a Cousteau-like undersea explorer and documentary filmmaker who gained fame through a series of films chronicling the adventures aboard his research vessel, the "Belafonte." Following a disastrous expedition where his trusted assistant Esteban (played by Seymour Cassell) seemingly fell victim to a mythical Jaguar shark, Zissou spent years seeking funding for a new expedition to hunt down the creature and avenge his friend's demise. His chance arrives with the arrival of Ned (portrayed by Owen Wilson), a young airline pilot claiming to be his son, and Jane Winslett-Richardson (played by Cate Blanchett), a pregnant British reporter set to document the expedition.

Wes Anderson has carved a niche for himself with films characterised by a distinctive style and an array of eccentric characters, a reputation upheld by The Life Aquatic. Anderson opts for long, static shots throughout the film, allowing viewers to appreciate the exquisite cinematography, impressive production design, and striking costumes. Noteworthy is a particularly impressive shot offering a cross-section view of Zissou's vessel. The performances in the film are stellar, with Bill Murray shining, having previously collaborated with Anderson on Rushmore. Anderson showcases the power of creativity unrestricted by Hollywood norms, with the film's allure and surreal ambiance owed in part to the stop-motion animation of exotic sea creatures and the use of Brazilian actor and singer Seu Jorge to cover David Bowie's songs in Portuguese.

The Life Aquatic diverges significantly from the typical Hollywood fare, offering a unique viewing experience. However, those seeking more than mere eccentricity may find shortcomings. Chief among these is a lack of consistent humour, a critical flaw for a film billed as a comedy. While there are moments of hilarity, they are sporadic and often mistimed. The film's pacing is leisurely, occasionally bogged down by dramatic sequences that lack impact, culminating in a melodramatic and predictable conclusion. Certain characters, such as Zissou's wife (portrayed by Anjelica Huston), are underutilised, while others, like Zissou's rival (played by Jeff Goldblum), could have been excised from the final cut. It is disheartening to witness such a wealth of talent not fully integrated into a cohesive narrative, yet this flaw should not dissuade viewers from experiencing The Life Aquatic.

RATING: 6/10 (++)

(Note: Original version of the review is available here.)

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›The Life Aquatic (film): Unpopular film that I absolutely loved@netflixr992d
When it comes to director Wes Anderson I am one of those people that I can say that I am kind of bored of his style these days. It started out iconic and unusual but we are at the point now where I feel as though it has run its course and I can identify that it is Wes Anderson almost immediately and I am sick of it. I would like to see him try his hand at doing something a bit different because like other iconic directors such as Guy Ritchie, he has a very distinct style that is all his own but he actually IS capable of doing something else. Wes Anderson seems to stick to kind of the same formula in all of his films and even uses many of the same actors.

There was a time when his approach to film-making was new and fresh to me and The Life Aquatic or the full name, The Life Aquatic with Steve Zissou was something I really enjoyed.

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I first saw this quite a few years after it was released and man oh man does it have some super big names in it. How one man is able to convince Bill Murray, William DaFoe, Kate Blanchett, Jeff Goldblum, Anjelica Huston, and Own Wilson to all be in the same production and not have the overall cost go through the roof says a lot about how it must be to work for Anderson. I think these stars must just really enjoy working with him because they all must have taken a dramatic pay cut to keep this under the $50 million or so estimated overall cost.

The Life Aquatic is a silly movie, just as all of the other Wes Anderson films I have seen have been and it follows the life of Steve Zissou and it is a bit of a "piss take" on the life of Jacques Cousteau, and the film is actually dedicated to him.

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Steve Zissou is a oceanographer who is considered an expert of all things underwater, and he travels the world with his team of misfits to document the amazing sea creatures when one of his long-time companions Estaban is eaten when they discover a very rare species of shark called the "jaguar shark."

He holds a press conference where one journalist is criticizing his work as appearing a "bit fake" and that is part of the fun of this film because the stuff he has documented in previous documentaries do look fake but when we travel with him we discover that these bizarre encounters actually do happen to him.

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Everything about the way that he runs his ship and his crew is silly and this is the kind of humor that isn't going to appeal to everyone. This is just kind of the way that all Wes Anderson films are though. He has a unique brand of humor that either you get it or you don't and I guess with this one more people didn't get it than did because it was a box office bomb losing $15 million globally before we take advertising costs into account. Normally with big budget films you can add 50% to the overall budget to estimate how much was spent on advertising and if that was the case with this movie, I'm sure the studios were not very pleased about losing $40 million on a rather bankable director with a massive cast.

Professional and normal human critics were in relative agreement about how they didn't much care for this one and I have to say that I seriously disagree with them all about this film. I believe this one is a hidden gem that especially if you are unfamiliar with Wes Anderson, that you might just enjoy as much as I did.

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To me it seems as though the actors and actresses were probably having a lot of fun on set because there are a lot of critically acclaimed actors in this one and for me I would think this could potentially pose a problem because of all the big egos. I guess it wasn't a problem though and perhaps that is a skill that Wes Anderson has - he is just able to keep big egos in check and make it fun enough that everyone gets along.

Should I watch it?
Like I said before, this is going to be a bit of a gamble for a lot of people because clearly the world for the most part didn't care for this one. Every now and then I feel as though the world is wrong though and to me, this is one of the times that they were wrong. I have seen this one multiple times and still laugh at the subtle jokes that are contained all the way through.

I'm going to watch it again right now in fact and I think you should as well.

_{The Life Aquatic with Steve Zissou is available on Amazon Prime, Apple TV, and Vudu streaming services}

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›The Life Aquatic with Steve Zissou (2004) - The POV Shot@lionsuit2906d

Personally, I love this film. At one point I read Wes Anderson said he felt it was his worst received movie. You never know. Art is opinion is life.

(Even the IMDb synopsis makes me laugh from the start: "With a plan to exact revenge on a mythical shark that killed his partner..." What a great opening.)

I think the imagery here, the scenery, story, characters, tone, design, music, performance, dialogue, editing are all great.

A heartfelt yet funny movie. Odd. Interesting. Bill Murray in a different role. Killing it. Frankly, this cast, all day long, please.

Family, history, romance, death, loss, fear, miscommunication, communication, revenge, man vs nature/man/self/all, connection, "team," Bowie songs all over.

I could write twenty posts on this one probably, but one especially stand out tool employed in the piece is the POV shot, a great way to connect audience and character. We see what they see. Too much can be overwhelming for the viewer, over engaging, but in the right amounts, in the right moments, it can be hugely powerful.

There are a few scenes in the film where characters ride in hot air balloons and helicopters. In these situations Anderson uses momentary POV shots, camera looking down past feet at the waters below. It is surely engaging.

In these moments the audience is hyper hooked into union with the characters. We realize we are on the edge of a deadly fall. We see our altitude, our safety in visual form, we feel it in an animalistic way, perhaps a sister sense to the feeling of eye contact.

Feet, water, speed. With these three items Anderson can clearly communicate to the viewer immediately, visually the fate of the character.

Written by Anderson and Noah Baumbach.

Be well. http://www.LionSuit.com

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›The Life Aquatic: a box office flop that I loved@gooddream2915d
What's not to like about Bill Murray? Well i suppose if you are a producer in Hollywood you don't like that despite his star-power, this movie lost more than $ 20 million for the studio. However, like many hidden gems it has developed a cult following over the years and is now viewed far more favorably than when it was released.

The film was dedicated to Jacques Cousteau and if you know anything about Cousteau it becomes evident very early on that this is precisely what the film is attempting to mimic... although in a far more ridiculous sense.

The plot centers around Steve Zissou and his crew who have traveled the world documenting the world's oddities in and around the sea. The discoveries they make are surreal to the point where one reporter suggests they are fake (they obviously are fake, but that is the directing style of Wes Anderson - love it or hate it.) Their latest project is to hunt down and kill the ferocious Jaguar Shark, which killed Zissou's best friend and chief diver, Esteban.

While doing a press release about his upcoming journey he is approached by a young(er) pilot named Ned Plimpton, whose mother recently passed away and he believes that Steve Zissou is his father. Ned leaves his job as an airline pilot and also agrees to spend his inheritance on the Zissou project.

this film was released during a time when Owen Wilson was trying to separate himself from being just a comedy actor

To reveal other parts of the movie would ruin the plot but to be honest there really isn't much of one. There are multiple setbacks on their journey including being kidnapped by Filipino pirates and the film kind of relies on Bill Murray's dry humor to carry the storyline. In many ways it fails but just like any other cult classic, the movie somehow becomes better after a second or third viewing.

This movie can move slowly at times and I think that is why it was relatively universally panned when it was released in 2004. The star-studded lineup of Bill Murray, Owen Wilson, Cate Blanchett, Jeff Goldblum, Anjelica Huston, and even William Dafoe (one of my personal favorites) wasn't enough to bring out the people to the cinemas and I guess this goes to show that just because you have an all-star lineup, doesn't necessarily mean the project is going to be a success.

I enjoyed it, but I think you need to appreciate Wes Anderson's style to really get on board with this one. Being familiar with Cousteau probably wouldn't hurt as well. Overall, i would say it is worth seeing, but certainly not legendary.

6 / 10

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›The Life Aquatic with Steve Zissou (2004)@lionsuit3022d

A great film. A top 20 all time favorite personally.

The cinematography, the editing (and non-editing), the blocking and composition, the locations, the adventure and fun, the color are all great. Most importantly for me though, Wes Anderson's films since Bottle Rocket have had such great structure, characters, dialogue, moments and exchanges, and on.

Murray, Blanchett, Wilson, and all the cast crush it. Written by Anderson and Noah Baumbach. Great music by way of Seu Jorge, David Bowie, and more.

This film, like so many of Anderson's, touches on connection, the need for it, do we have a team, does it remember me, the human need for connection. There is something honest and powerful in that.

Trailer:

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›'The Life Aquatic With Steve Zissou' by Wes Anderson Review@namiks3139d

Wes Anderson's famously known and loved style failed to hit the soft spots of film critics, with the film reaching into simple "Meh, it's okay" ratings; however, what many critics failed to consider was that The Life Aquatic With Steve Zissou is its unique style and every-frame-is-a-picture cinematography that comes with Wes Anderson.

The Life Aquatic With Steve Zissou is a character-driven story. It follows the lie and hardships of a formerly great oceanographer Steve Zissou and his interesting band of crew members; they're driven by the fuel of revenge after a member is killed and eaten by the jaguar shark.

Steve Zissou is known for his courageous feats and naval intellect, and it's clear from the beginning that his days of greatness are a thing of the past. He's tormented by time and responsibility with the arrival of his adult son, making him question his past actions and attempt to be a father his son can look up to by having him join the crew in their next adventure. Comically, Steve and his son fall for the reporter that is writing a piece on Steve and his not-so-impressive life, which brings in some mild conflict between the two.

Outside of the narrative, the film follows Wes Anderson's near-perfect background symmetry and compact shots. Frames contain little stories of their own in the backgrounds, without overly distracting the viewer from the dialogue. Familiar use of bright colours and stop-motion is also explored.

The Life Aquatic With Steve Zissou is far from Wes Anderson's greatest film, but theres nothing particularly wrong with it either. And quite frankly, it reaches deep into the 90% rating when compared to other films that have been released within the past five years.

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Should I watch it?

6 / 10