Phonearl Good start, but then it gets ruined

Patience Watson One of those movie experiences that is so good it makes you realize you've been grading everything else on a curve.

Portia Hilton Blistering performances.

Lucia Ayala It's simply great fun, a winsome film and an occasionally over-the-top luxury fantasy that never flags.

WubsTheFadger Short and Simple Review by WubsTheFadgerFirst off, Wes Anderson has once again created a quirky, colorful, and touching film. The story is at times extremely hilarious and very touching. The ending is heartfelt and feel good. The plot is easy to follow and all the characters are easily distinguishable from each other because of their vibrant personalities.The acting is great. Bill Murray, Owen Wilson, Willem Defoe, and Jeff Goldblum steal the show. They are all hilarious and add so much to the story. Cate Blanchett, Anjelica Huston, Michael Gambon, Noah Taylor, Bud Cort, Seu Jorge, Robyn Cohen, Waris Ahluwalia, Matthew Gray Gubler, and Seymour Cassel all player various crew members that are memorable and funny.The pacing is a little slow and the runtime is very overlong. Also, the CGI is a little weird.The crew are the best part of the film because they are all unique and very funny in their own way. The orange hat and blue speedo are legendary.Pros: Hilarious and touching story, great characters, good acting, the crew, and the legendary hat and blue speedoCons: Some weird CGI, slow pacing, and an overlong runtimeOverall Rating: 7.2

MaximumMadness Loosely inspired by the life of famed scientist, conservationist and oceanic explorer Jacques Cousteau, director Wes Anderson's whimsical comedic drama "The Life Aquatic with Steve Zissou" has gone on to gain an ever-growing cult-audience in the thirteen years that have passed since its initial release. And for good reason- this is an endlessly ambitious and exceedingly well made work of art despite its inconsistencies and an occasional bit of pretentiousness that crops in now and again. It's thoroughly charming with a great dry wit and some wonderful characters to explore, set to a fascinating and very fantastical backdrop. I've always had something of a love- hate relationship with Anderson. I highly admire the man and adore his work on certain levels, even when more often than not I find his films to be a bit too tediously in love with themselves and overwrought. The man is without doubt a genius, and I think my feelings are a good reflection of that... even when I don't like his films personally due to my own issues with them, I still can love and appreciate their intentions."The Life Aquatic" is most certainly one of Anderson's more peculiar works- which is not small feat. It follows the titular Steve Zissou (Bill Murray), an oceanographer and documentary filmmaker whose life has hit a bit of a rough patch- not helped by the fact that during the filming of his most recently movie, his friend and colleague Esteban was killed by a mysterious beast described as a "Jaguar Shark." He vows that his next documentary will focus on his hunt for the shark, especially after members of the public question whether or not Esteban was really killed or if the entire situation was faked. ("But what would be the scientific purpose of killing it?"; "...revenge?") And so, the film follows his newest voyage, and focuses on the interpersonal relationships between Zissou and the members of his crew, including his estranged wife (Angelica Huston), a reporter who has come to document his latest journey (Cate Blanchett) and a young pilot named Ned who may or may not be his long-lost son, played wonderfully by Owen Wilson.The film is a powerhouse of keen visual storytelling and subtle, dry humor and grounded drama that lends it a great deal of quirky atmosphere while also maintaining a surprisingly heartfelt and realistically emotional core. The film is overtly stylized in virtually every capacity... from a wonderful series of visual sequences where we see the entirety of the ship opened up from the side like a dollhouse, to the inclusion of old-school claymation to bring to life the magical ocean creatures that Steve encounters, to very deliberate caricature performances from several supporting players... Anderson is creating a brand new world with this film (much as he does with all of his movies) that seems to exist in a similar but just slightly more cartoonish reality compared to our own. And yet, you can relate to it because he finds a proper balance in his handling of the world-building. As much as it is detached from our own perception of the "real world"... you still can still buy into the film because he never goes too far and keeps its heart in the right place with drama seeped in realism.And that's where the film really shines. With its magnificent and expansive cast of characters, who are all given career-defining performances by their respective performers in my opinion, and sharp writing that really seems to understand the human condition, you can't help but be fully absorbed in each moment. This is at its heart a delightful and oft-dramatic slice of life picture and a great study of the interpersonal relationships between troubled and sometimes even jaded and damaged people. Each and every player has their part to play and all are expertly expanded on through the way they interact with others and how their feelings towards one another change over the course of the film. And everyone does an absolutely fabulous job with their performance. This is one of the finest ensemble casts I have ever seen assembled. I didn't even get to mention key supporting players such as Willem Dafoe or Jeff Goldblum, who have smaller but very important parts to play in the story.I do have to comment, though... I wouldn't call it a perfect film. It's perfectly watchable and perfectly engaging and entertaining. And I would consider it a personal favorite. But it's not a perfect film. Because like many of Anderson's other works, I can't help but have some significant issues with the various facets of the movie that do detract a small but notable bit of quality from the overall finished product. As often delightful as the proceedings can be, it too often feels like its too fascinated with its own world-building, to the point it borders on tedium in a few key moments. There's a bit too much... of everything at times. (I know that sounds strange, but it's just how I feel.) It can also occasionally go from the edge of artsy and unique to pretentious and overdone as well, leading to one or two moments where you'll your eyes rolling while you say to yourself "Really?" And that can detract from the otherwise excellent world-building and exploration of character.But that cannot stop an otherwise very fascinating and deceptively complex film. It's hilarious. It's poignant. It's wildly refreshing and incredibly ambitious. And it's just a darned fun movie all around. I give "The Life Aquatic with Steve Zissou" a very good 8 out of 10 and give my whole-hearted recommendation.

vincefabrizio Life Aquatic is a beautifully composed film with a great story. The artistic value is very unique. Like all Wes Anderson movies, it has colors that really pop, very symmetrical shots, and amazing stop motion scenes. The movie was super entertaining and funny. For educational value, you wont learn anything about boats or sea junk, but you watch a guy give up his life to work on a ship and travel the sea. And i think the lesson there is that in life, sometimes you just have to give up all your stuff and travel the sea. To be happy you cant always play it safe. On the surface, the movie is about claiming revenge on the jaguar shark that ate Esteban. But the real story is about a dad connecting with his son and learning to care about others. Pretty awesome movie.

imdb-45 If you're over 30 or 40 you've probably seen the older documentaries. My parents are big fans of Cousteau stuff, which is really dated by today's standards. This film is a quirky, very funny parody of a ocean explorer who is well past his prime. His old films are the over the top, contrived but supposedly spontaneous majestic ocean nature documentaries. And if you've seen them, it's funny. It's more of a character study of a team that is doing what it can to placate a legend in the field of oceanography and also can be a bunch of stooges, since the captain is focused on a senseless revenge mission.This is a totally hit or miss film. Like it or hate it. Get it or you don't get it. So I get the high ratings and think it's hilarious. The joy isn't in the plot itself as to what specifically happens but the funny journey along the way towards the unknown confrontation with an old enemy. There are some subplots, such as the "is he or isn't he" the abandoned son of the captain along with the love interest that is somewhat in between the Zissous.What I like about this film is that at least it is an original effort and not yet another rehash of something else. It's humorous, not intended to be taken seriously at all and completely an exaggeration and satire of a time that is long gone and probably relates far more to an older generation. This is why you'll see many ratings from younger people who just hate the film, not getting the joke that this is a Cousteau parody, something they have never seen or a time which they experienced.