Die Tiefseetaucher

It took me about half an hour to tune in to the Anderson wave, about halfway through I started to love it, and I ended up watching this unclassifiable flick twice in two days. For those individuals who try to fit every film into genre boxes, this really isn't it. (01.02.2008)

The Life Aquatic with Steve Zissou was a big surprise. I expected a weird and untraditional film, but in a completely different way: a crazy comedy, but it turned out to be a pretty serious and sad piece, and also very pleasantly incorrect. I recommend not looking for any information, nor reading anything about it before watching it (as I did this time); it’s better to watch it unprepared :-) (23.01.2011)

I can’t say that this film could ever win a five-star rating from me, but on the other hand, I have to admit that Wes Anderson has an absolutely great style of lifting the viewer’s mood; both when it comes to the characters and when it comes to the storytelling – it seems normal at first, but in reality, it’s one big mess. Which is actually really nice. Everybody who moves a finger in that movie is in a great mood. And apart from that, Wes has an amazing imagination that – combined with the motion picture and an appropriate choice of music – creates an incredible experience. But I wasn’t really able to ride the comedy wave of this movie. But that doesn’t change the fact that I felt really nice after watching it. (14.03.2014)

Anderson ist zu loben, denn es gelingt ihm, diese seltsame Mischung aus Pseudo-Dokumentarfilm, infantilem Abenteuerdrama und Kammerspiel mit der Leichtigkeit eines Meisters zusammenzuhalten. Dazu trägt auch die Musik bei, insbesondere David Bowies postmoderne, ergreifende Bearbeitungen portugiesischer und kammermusikalischer Lieder, die dank der periodischen Einlagen des musizierenden Seu Jorge einen seltsam rhythmischen Einfluss auf das insgesamt etwas unstete Tempo des Films haben. Die stilisierte Kinematographie ist ein unverkennbares Merkmal von Den Tiefseetauchern, vor allem die Komposition der Bilder, die oft wie Gruppenfotos aus einem Reisetagebuch (oder Szenen aus Kinderrollenspielen - wie man sieht, ist das nicht weit voneinander entfernt) wirken. Die treibende Kraft des Films sind jedoch zweifellos die Leistungen der Schauspieler (meine Hand müsste verdorren, wenn ich nicht den phänomenalen Willem Dafoe und vor allem Bill Murray erwähnen würde, der sich auf dem imaginären Höhepunkt seiner Kräfte befindet!), dank derer man den Schwindel der Verwirrung in der Anfangsphase des Films überwindet und mit etwas Glück den Weg in Steve Zissous bizarres Aquarium hineinfindet... Die Gefahr, dass einem in der Tiefe der Sauerstoff ausgeht, ist allgegenwärtig, aber trotzdem ist dieser Film eine Wette in der Publikumslotterie wert. (19.03.2005)

An indescribably “weird" movie. What ever I might write about either isn’t true or doesn’t reflect the facts. I might use words like melancholic, nostalgic, sad etc., but the end result isn’t like that at all. It’s a picture that you’ll find boring, unless you happen to be in the right mood for it, in which case you’ll be greatly entertained. I don’t dare to say whether it’s a comedy, a parody, a homage to Cousteau or a serious drama. But it certainly has a whole lotta love in it and a bit of everything else. It even has some of Karel Zeman’s movies in it too. I suppose that this is sort of how, as a child, Wes Anderson imagined the work of an oceanographer and here he is simply sharing his vision with us. (21.03.2005)

The Life Aquatic is a charming film, but you need to be in the right mood. And I was today. (07.04.2018)

A weird film that perhaps it’s impossible to assign a key genre subtext to. In terms of comedy, it works quite well and the uncharacteristically wacky humour manages to amuse in places. On the adventure side, however, it's not that good, the story struggles to gain speed and I found the main storyline, with all due respect to the original premise, rather weak and uninteresting. But what's really brilliant about the film are the performances, in particular, the trio Murray, Anjelica Huston and Willem Dafoe are perfect. Overall, slightly above average, and next time I wish Wes Anderson would push the envelope a bit more in terms of humour and emotion. (26.07.2011)

Bisher der schlimmste, schwächste und schrecklichste Film von Anderson. Ich hoffe, dass es sich um eine Ausnahme handelt, und deshalb werde ich kein Boo! geben. Schon lange hat mich kein Film vom Anfang bis zum Ende so gelangweilt und genervt. Zwei Stunden mit geschwätzigen, witzlosen, dummen, peinlichen und tauben Szenen. Absolute Scheiße. (03.02.2024)

Wes Anderson is truly a unique filmmaker who doesn't appeal to everyone. Not everyone will appreciate his film "The Life Aquatic with Steve Zissou," which is simply strange. You can say whatever you want, but if you don't like it right away, you won't like it at all. "The Life Aquatic" is a unique film that tries to somewhat follow in the tradition of Jacques Cousteau and introduces us to people who sail on a boat and explore the underwater world. There is still so much there that we don't know. But it's not actually conceived as a documentary film, as discovering new species, although that cannot be avoided either. Here, Anderson presents his playfulness when he shows us completely new species, moreover in beautiful animated sequences. These are interesting leaps that please. At first glance, it might seem that the story will revolve around the attempt to catch the shark that ate one crew member. But that's not the main theme of the film either. So, could it be about the relationship between Steve Zissou and his newly found son? Even this is not the most important aspect. The film is actually about people and their relationships, at times you're not sure if it's all just one big absurd drama. Absurd elements are definitely present, which for me is always a few extra points in evaluation. However, the film lacks narrative consistency. It really feels like we're watching a few days with the crew. Someone edited the material, cut out a lot of boring parts, left out a bit of uninteresting content, but as a whole, it gives us a picture of strange people who may not be that different from actual people. The film is full of love, hope, humor, and a desire to live life on one's own terms. The film is not completely optimistic, but Bill Murray delivers one of his great performances once again. Everyone else supports him excellently. A good film, but definitely not for everyone. More: http://www.filmovy-denik.cz/2012/11/prada-tlumocnice-sveraci-kazajka.html (02.03.2013)

My first Wes Anderson and I'll start right off by saying I really didn't expect it to be this good. The way Anderson manages to tastefully dose humor (and really good humor at that) and dramatic moments is very likeable. I guess the feeling that sticks in my mind the most is during the closing credits, when I asked myself what I was watching – was it a drama, a comedy, an adventure, or a film about basically mundane things (problems) set in a not entirely conventional environment. Genre-wise it is difficult to identify (not that it really matters), but it is very well written, acted, original, and ultimately very moving. (14.04.2012)