The Life Aquatic with Steve Zissou (2004)

My experience with Wes Anderson films went roughly like this: blown away by The Grand Budapest Hotel -> Impressed with The French Dispatch. By Astroid City I began to tire of the focus on aesthetic and found most of his stories lacked strong emotional cores that I need to find a film memorable. I was told by a friend that he found this one to be an exception to the rule, but at the end of the day it still felt lackluster to me.

Still, there are enough things that I found interesting to say that I don’t regret watching this movie. I don’t need to comment on the witty dialogue - that is always a given with Anderson. I liked seeing Cate Blanchett in what is probably the youngest role I’ve seen her in (I really need to watch The Aviator) - her voice sounded so different. I liked the whimsical special effects as well. I’m not sure if the comedic effects were intentional - they probably are - but they did inspire a sense of wonder in me, the same sense of wonder I watched Steve rediscover, along with everyone else in that submarine.