The Life Aquatic with Steve Zissou - Criterion Collection (2-Disc Special Edition)

Starring:Bill Murray, Owen Wilson, Cate Blanchett, Anjelica Huston, Willem Dafoe, Jeff Goldblum, Michael Gambon, Noah Taylor, Bud Cort, Seu Jorge, Robyn Cohen, Waris Ahluwalia, Niels Koizumi, Pawel Wdowczak, Matthew Gray Gubler, Seymour Cassel, Antonio Monda, Isabella Blow, James Hamilton, Melanie Gerren
Director: Wes Anderson
Studio: Miramax Home Entertainment
Product Type: DVD

Amazon.com

In The Life Aquatic with Steve Zissou, director Wes Anderson takes his familiar stable of actors on a field trip to a fantasy aquarium, complete with stop-motion, candy-striped crabs and rainbow seahorses. And though Anderson does expand his horizons in terms of retro-special effects and a whimsical use of color, fans will otherwise find themselves in well-charted waters. As The Life Aquatic opens, Zissou (Bill Murray), a self-involved, Jacques Cousteau-like filmmaker, has just released a documentary depicting the death of his best friend Esteban, who was eaten by some sort of sea creature--possibly a jaguar shark. Zissou's troubles also include his waning popularity with the public, and a nemesis (Jeff Goldblum) who hogs up all the grant money. Hope arrives in the form of Ned Plimpton (Owen Wilson), an amiable Kentuckian who may be Zissou's son. Despite his lack of enthusiasm for fatherhood, Zissou welcomes Ned--and Ned in turn saves Zissou's new documentary (in which he seeks revenge on the jaguar shark) in more ways than one.

One of Wes Anderson's greatest achievements as a director to date has been launching the autumnal melancholy phase of Bill Murray's career, starting with Rushmore in 1998, and Murray delivers a similarly comedic yet low-key performance here. Unfortunately, Zissou is one of the few characters in this ensemble to achieve multi-dimensionality. Even co-star Wilson doesn't get to develop Ned much beyond Noble Southerner, and he ends up seeming more like a prop for illustrating Zissou's emotional development rather than his own man. The Life Aquatic probably won't be remembered as a great film, but it is still one that no Anderson (or Murray) fan can afford to miss.--Leah Weathersby

Description

Internationally famous oceanographer Steve Zissou (Bill Murray) and his crew -- Team Zissou -- set sail on a expedition to hunt down the mysterious, elusive -- possibly nonexistent -- Jaguar Shark that killed Zissou's partner during the documentary filming of their latest adventure. They are joined on their voyage by a young airline co-pilot, who may or may not be Zissou's son (Owen Wilson), a beautiful journalist (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. Oscar(R)-nominated writer-director (Best Original Screenplay, THE ROYAL TENENBAUMS, 2001) Wes Anderson has assembled an all-star cast that also includes Willem Dafoe, Jeff Goldblum, Michael Gambon, Noah Taylor, and Bud Cort in this wildly original adventure-comedy.

Customer Reviews:

A sentimental comedy that mixes absurdity with ultra-realism.......2007-06-26

"The Life Aquatic" is a movie that revolves around two main characters, Steve Zissou (Bill Murray), and Ned Plimpton (Owen Wilson). Both of these characters are likable in how off-center they are. Zissou is an aging oceanographer, with all the vices of a sailor. Plimpton is a Southern gentleman and a pilot. These two people set off along with a crew to film and destroy a giant shark.

What gives this movie such a strange feel is the mixture of realism and absurdity. Some scenes are hilarious in how ridiculous they are, while others show how brutal and fragile life can be on the ocean. At times, it can leave the viewer a bit confused on what just happened.

So thinking back on "The Life Aquatic", I can best describe it as a strange sentimental movie. It has alot of elements of humor, mixed with the peculiarities of the main characters, yet weighted with death and violence. That being said, I thoroughly enjoyed it, and would recommend it to anyone who has an interest in the ocean.

Maybe it was too deep for me.......2007-06-12

If there was humor in this film it was over my head. I found nothing in this film to be even mildly humorous let alone down right funny. I think the joke is on the people who paid money to see it. Someone who says they see the 'genius' in this film is either deluding themselves, lying or a heck of a lot more thoughtful than I am. My advice: Avoid this garbage at all costs.

Comedic genius. Better than Rushmore........2007-06-11

This movie is so funny and surprisingly there is a real story in it as well. This movie has a laugh in spite of itself, while coming off as dryly serious. Bill Murray is a master of this kind of delivery. You have to listen to the entire dialogue of this movie, alot of the jokes are subtle and you may need to use your brain. Yes the fish look stupid, beautifully done but utterly fake looking. Yes Zissou smokes pot like a chimney, but he is utterly confident in his ability to come out on top. Being the ever sarcastic wise cracker Murray is at the top of his game here. I highly recommend it.

The Life Aquatic, Freaky Zissou Styley.......2007-05-12

This is one of my favorite movies and I was glad to finally get it on DVD. The special features are nice for a fan like me, you can see how incredibly creepy Mark Mothersbaugh is and what the actor who plays Esteban had to think, along with lots of great footage of Seu Jorge playing his guitar.

A must have for fans of the movie. I understand this is one of those polarizing movies where people with good taste and a good sense of humor get it and love it, while lots of other people don't get it. If you saw it and got it, then get this; or if you are into strange, odd, dark-ish, and/or interesting comedies, then check this out.

Peace
Blessed Be

Boring!!!.......2007-05-03

I am sorry but I do like Bill Murray and Owen Wilson. But this movie is just plain bad and is very boring. I turned it off after the first hour when the movie was developing into nothing. I don't leave bad reviews like this unless they are very bad, and this one is. Rent something else, anything else besides this one.

The Life Aquatic with Steve Zissou - Criterion Collection

Average customer rating:

A sentimental comedy that mixes absurdity with ultra-realism
Maybe it was too deep for me
Comedic genius. Better than Rushmore.
The Life Aquatic, Freaky Zissou Styley
Boring!!!

The Life Aquatic with Steve Zissou - Criterion Collection
Starring: Bill Murray , Owen Wilson , Cate Blanchett , Anjelica Huston , and Willem Dafoe
Director: Wes Anderson
Manufacturer: Miramax Home Entertainment
ProductGroup: DVD
Binding: DVD

General | Action & Adventure | Genres | DVD | Video

Comic Action | Action & Adventure | Genres | DVD | Video

General | Comedy | Genres | DVD | Video

Stop-Motion & Clay Animation | Animation | Genres | DVD | Video

Feature Films | Animation | Genres | DVD | Video