DVD Review

Life Aquatic with Steve Zissou – A fun romp through the life of a traveler.

Bill Murray plays Steve Zissou, famed oceanographer…sort of. Zissou tries his best, and looks the part of the hero on his documentaries he produces. But the real Steve Zissou is something else indeed. He’s a man who doesn’t know life. He is unable to connect to anyone, including the person who may be his son.

If you can get through the oddness, you will find the touching story of a man trying to connect with life. He has always been larger than life, and through his son, and the people around him, as well as the loss of someone very close to him, Zissou tries to find that which is missing inside of him. While doing so, there are also many adventures and even a little bit of action, as Zissou does get to play hero. Phenomenal work.

Wes Anderson continues to be at the top of his game, making a movie that is small, while at the same time gives a much larger feel. He invests in the characters, but does so in a way where these individuals never destroy who they are for a joke. They never change their core, and as such their quirks are that much more interesting.

The visual design is interesting, as they went for a “fake” look for the movie. As a movie about a man who is making a documentary (which are always set up as fake by him), this leads an interesting dynamic. What is real from what you see? This film tends to tell you that nothing may be real.

The two disk set is stacked. From the commentary to the making of and the deleted scenes, there is a lot of fun to be had. The commentary takes place from the restaurant the movie was written in. There is the sound of drinks being moved. Servers pass by as the genesis of this film is discussed. The deleted scenes are interesting, as is the Portuguese translated David Bowie songs. The documentaries are fun and informative.

Overall, this is a fun movie that deserves at least one chance. Try it out, you just might like it.