Following the success of "Rushmore" and "The Royal Tenenbaums," Wes Anderson returns with "The Life Aquatic with Steve Zissou."
If you don''t like quirky comedies, Anderson''s films may not be for you, but even if you are a fan of his, "The Life Aquatic" may fall a bit short of expectations.
Bill Murray turns in a good but nothing special performance as the title character, an oceanographer who has made a career of filming cheesy documentaries about his adventures, which often amount to very little substance. He also doesn''t know the name of most of the species he works with, but when his friend is killed by a mysterious new shark, he does know one thing: his next mission will be to set out and kill that shark. Though his wife (Anjelica Huston) is leaving him, a son he never knew existed (Owen Wilson) has joined his team, along with a pretty reporter (Cate Blanchett). Unfortunately, things don''t go as planned as their bank manager is kidnapped by pirates - yes, pirates - and dissension grows among the ranks.
Like Anderson''s other comedies, "The Life Aquatic" is very quirky and breezy. He relies on the actors to get the punch lines of his jokes across and is more concerned with the characters than the plot. This time around, Anderson has taken things one step further by creating a world with fictional creatures and goofy special effects.