Wes Anderson is one of those hit-or-miss directors in that you either like him or you don't. I, for one, like him. His subtle humor and unique characters just register with me, I guess.
His movies are sort of like Napoleon Dynamite. Many people just saw that movie as a poor attempt at humor and a coming-of-age movie, devoid of any real meaning or class. I was able to appreciate the subtle humor in the ridiculous characters, setting, and interactions.
On this note, let's look at some of his unique (dare I say odd?) movie-making characteristics and trends upon which I have been so focused on.
To keep it simple, I will put a few of these in list form:
1. Long narrated opening scene introduces the characters, their personalities, and their situations
2. Completely unnecessary nudity (usually immediately after a transition for added shock value)
3. Ridiculous uniforms for the characters (see yellow jumpsuit or the red hat and Speedo)
4. A single Muslim character, sometimes with a turban
5. Fantastic setting
6. Fantastic situation
7. Fantastic characters
The Life Aquatic is Wes Anderson's most personal movie to date. Let me explain: For his previous movies, he was a relatively unknown director and had to keep his "creativity" in check in order to make it in the box office. That's right, believe it or not! Bottle Rocket, Rushmore, and The Royal Tenenbaums were what he made while keeping his uniqueness in check! Now imagine what would happen if he made a movie with the largest budget yet for him and the freedom to make what he truly wanted...and the result is The Life Aquatic.
The Life Aquatic is a mixed bag, to say the least. I'm not even going to try describe the plot. I'll just say that it involves Steve Murray trying to kill a "Jaguar Shark" that ate his friend. ('Nuff said, right?) Anyway, let's look at a mere sampling of the interesting occurrences in The Life Aquatic, again in convenient list form.
1. Bill Murray bought two dolphins and installed cameras on their heads to serve as scouts. He did this because he heard that they were extremely intelligent creature, "although [he] has seen no evidence of this."
2. Bill Murray had antennae installed on their diving helmets so that they could listen to soft techno whilst diving.
3. Bill Murray brought along a group of unpaid interns in exchange for class credit. He mainly uses them as servants, asking them to bring him lattes and such.
4. All of the crew members carry Glocks (except for the interns, they all share one).
5. Bill Murray navigates through unprotected waters to save on gas, which results in the ship getting taken over by pirates. He retakes the ship single-handedly with a single commandeered pistol.
6. Bill Murray adopts a dog left behind by one of the pirates. It only has three legs and he names it Cody.
7. Bill Murray runs into a room full of at least 40 heavily-armed pirates (equipped with only a pistol) to save his friend. The building then explodes, and Bill and his friend emerge unscathed.
8. When not drawn, the crew members' pistols appear to be Glocks. When drawn, however, they appear to be Beretta 92s.
As you can see, the movie is a tad unique, and full of Wes Anderson-y goodness. The oddity that is The Life Aquatic is the manifestation of Wes Anderson's uniqueness as a director, resembling his previous movies but with unbridled freedom this time around. The film is a great representation of Wes Anderson's style as a whole, and you will either love it or you won't.
I found a movie review ( http://efilmcritic.com/review.php?movie=11325 ) which agrees with what I have been talking about. It just says it in a more succinct fashion.
When he said:
Wes Anderson creates a highly stylized and peculiar world, which either works for you or it doesn't. It works for me beautifully, and 'The Life Aquatic with Steve Zissou' deserves to take its place with 'Bottle Rocket' (1996), 'Rushmore' (1998), and 'The Royal Tenenbaums' (2001) as a half-jocular, half-melancholy portrait of dreamers and losers.
I said: I couldn't agree more.
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