Movie Haiku - The Life Aquatic with Steve Zissou

The Life Aquatic with Steve Zissou
Dir: Wes Anderson
Cast: Bill Murray, Owen Wilson, Cate Blanchett, Anjelica Huston

His team film at sea
long lost son joins hunt for shark
cool Bowie covers

I can understand why this movie has been dividing the critics. It really is Wes Anderson at his most self-indulgent, stuffing the film with so many quirks that the characters and story do get somewhat smothered along the way. The storytelling here is very loose, following Team Zissou as they set out to hunt the jaguar shark that killed Zissou's partner, but Anderson seems more interested in shifting the focus to Zissou (Murray) and the relationships he has with his wife (Huston), his son (Wilson), a reporter (Blanchett), and his crew. Personally I think it is his best work to date. The characters here are funny, flawed individuals and the story lollops along with such a fine sense of absurdity that you can't help but smile. With this movie Anderson firmly establishes himself as one of the most individual voices in the business today. The attention to detail is meticulous throughout, witness: the use of title cards to define each scene (one of his hallmarks); the use of recurring uniforms / motifs - like the crew's unique wet suit and red bobble hat combo; the myriad of unusual sea creatures as animated by Henry Selick; the soundtrack, with its frequent Portuguese Bowie covers and electronic noodlings, enhancing each scene perfectly; and the direction and careful framing of each individual scene which displays a masterclass in modern filmmaking. The ensemble cast all perform well, and it is especially satisfying to see actors like Willem Dafoe (in particular) and Jeff Goldblum given some terrific supporting roles. Undoubtably the must-see movie for February.

soulmining rating: *****