FILMBRATS - REVIEWS

While making his latest nature film, Steve Zissou’s best friend/right hand man was eaten by a fish never before seen by man. In the brief glance he got, Steve dubbed it a Jaguar Shark. Now, he’s out for revenge. He wants to destroy the creature that took his friend and prove his harshest critics wrong at the same time. If that weren’t enough, a long lost son and a reporter has been added to the mix/crew. Will this be Steve’s swan song or will it be the start of a personal and professional rebirth?

Here we have Wes Anderson’s latest effort. The maestro behind such instant classics as “Rushmore” and “The Royal Tenenbaums,” like Zissou, has most likely bitten off more than he can chew. His casts have gotten bigger and bigger as has his production value. He’s slowly and steadily entering into dangerous, mainstream territory. This film marks the use of massive sets, exotic locations, and worst of all – special effects.

To create the new species of aquatic life, a combination of stop motion animation and computer graphics work was employed. I don’t really know what the purpose was of constructing them. The spectacle detracted from the main narrative and pulled the focus away from the characters. I would have been perfectly fine had only existing animals been used. I mean, it doesn’t matter what you call the fish, it’s still obvious Ahab is after Moby Dick.

Just like his previous films, the story is divided up into sections. However, this time, I think there were too many divisions and the differences seemed too miniscule to be justified. There are other parts of the script that seemed off to me as well. Written by Anderson and Noah Baumbach (“Kicking and Screaming,” “Highball”), the characterization just wasn’t there. The relationships never developed into anything palpable or understandable. The story took too many detours and contained too many side quests. It got to the point where I couldn’t trust what I saw on the screen as being real. There is a sequence where Steve and his crew are taken hostage. Steve breaks free and starts shooting at the pirates. I thought it was an elaborate dream sequence. It would have been better that way. The whole film was slightly more fantastical than I’m used to seeing from Anderson, but not fantastical enough to allow myself to become immersed.

The most redeeming factor of the film is the acting. Bill Murray does it again. Aside from his take on “Garfield,” he’s quickly become one of my favorite actors. Anjelica Huston is fabulous as the monotone, unfeeling wife of Zissou. The rest of the cast either didn’t impress me or didn’t have a proper opportunity to. Willem Dafoe, Jeff Goldblum, Bud Cort and Michael Gambon all have relatively limited screen time, which is a shame.

I’m not ready to write Anderson off yet by any means. This film just isn’t up to par with his others. The humor just wasn’t there that much either. It could be that the bar was just set too high. We all know he’s capable. The important thing is to rebound from a less than movie and not become another Woody Allen.

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