I watched The Life Aquatic with Steve Zissou for two reasons. The first being my goal to see the rest of the Wes Anderson films. The second is to complete all of Bill Murray’s films. I went in knowing very little about it, but with lots of hope. I really loved The Life Aquatic with Steve Zissou and give it the rating of Must See.
The Life Aquatic with Steve Zissou is Bill Murray at his best!
Steve Zissou (Bill Murray) is looking to finish part 2 of his documentary titled jaguar shark. With a little help, he rallies a crew that included a report (Cate Blanchett), his bastard son (Owen Wilson), his estranged wife (Anjelica Huston), and others as he seeks revenge on the shark that ate his partner.
The film features a few of Anderson regulars like Murray, Wilson, Huston, and Willem Dafoe. I love that he uses what appears to be claymation mixed with life action. A lot of the sea life that is seen in the film is definitely animated. It really gives it the Anderson style and look. The color palette he chooses is definitely one of the elements that I enjoy in his films. The dry humor is also one of my favorite components and its in the film quite a bit.
Murray is one of my favorite people to have ever lived. It’s an ambition to meet him and I hope it’s one that comes true. I love him in this film. He’s so natural in the performance that he really made me believe he was Steve Zissou. He has great interactions with Dafoe, Wilson, Huston, Blanchette, and Jeff Goldblum. I think my favorite though is Dafoe’s clear admiration of Zissou. It’s not a character I’ve seen Dafoe play, but he is terrific.
This is a movie I’m surprised that I’ve never seen. I’ve owned it for years, but I don’t regret it. I got to experience the joy of the first watch and knowing that I’ll see this one multiple times. I wish the nudity wasn’t in the film so I could show this to my students. There is so much greatness about it that it would be a good one to show.
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