Wes Anderson's famously known and loved style failed to hit the soft spots of film critics, with the film reaching into simple "Meh, it's okay" ratings; however, what many critics failed to consider was that The Life Aquatic With Steve Zissou is its unique style and every-frame-is-a-picture cinematography that comes with Wes Anderson.
The Life Aquatic With Steve Zissou is a character-driven story. It follows the lie and hardships of a formerly great oceanographer Steve Zissou and his interesting band of crew members; they're driven by the fuel of revenge after a member is killed and eaten by the jaguar shark.
Steve Zissou is known for his courageous feats and naval intellect, and it's clear from the beginning that his days of greatness are a thing of the past. He's tormented by time and responsibility with the arrival of his adult son, making him question his past actions and attempt to be a father his son can look up to by having him join the crew in their next adventure. Comically, Steve and his son fall for the reporter that is writing a piece on Steve and his not-so-impressive life, which brings in some mild conflict between the two.
Outside of the narrative, the film follows Wes Anderson's near-perfect background symmetry and compact shots. Frames contain little stories of their own in the backgrounds, without overly distracting the viewer from the dialogue. Familiar use of bright colours and stop-motion is also explored.
The Life Aquatic With Steve Zissou is far from Wes Anderson's greatest film, but theres nothing particularly wrong with it either. And quite frankly, it reaches deep into the 90% rating when compared to other films that have been released within the past five years.