The Life Aquatic (bad review)

Wes Anderson has gained a sizeable following over the years.   The success of   movies like Rushmore and The Royal Tenenbaums  opened Anderson up to a mainstream audience.  His 2004 comedy The Life Aquatic was received well, but just doesn't seem to size up to his other works.   The over use of basic visual elements is overwhelming and the dialogue is a bit dull.

The story follows oceanographer Steve Zissou (Bill Murray) as he attempts to destroy a rare shark that has killed his beloved friend.  He runs into an array of complications on the way and in the end Steve decides to spare the shark’s life.   The problem is that Murray utters few words, and when he does they are often of little importance.   Most of Zissou’s dialogue are nonsensical ramblings. Owen Wilson plays a man from Louisville, Kentucky that claims to be Steve’s son.  Wilson’s ole lacks any real development in the film.  He is fascinated by Steve Zissou, but that is the only thing the audience ever really knows about this character.  His wife Eleanor (Angelica Houston)  is somewhat of a life manager to Zissou.  

The film’s failures reach beyond the boring conversations within it.  The use of repitition is over whelming.  The characters all dress the same, and the scenes all fall into perfect color schemes.   Every setting looks over calculated.  This movie simply has too little dialogue and too much saturated imagery.  A huge failure for Wes Anderson.