Wes Anderson&s THE LIFE AQUATIC a group of oceanic explorers who call themselves Team Zissou embark on a journey to hunt down the &jaguar shark& that ate one of their crew members (Seymour Cassel) Determined to avenge the death of his dear friend team leader Steve Zissou (Bill Murray) is melancholic about the journey he&s about to make Meanwhile financial troubles & nostalgia for his past make Zissou behave like a reckless playboy an ageing softy & a past-his-prime tyrant Surrounding Zissou are a hodgepodge of eccentrics--a pregnant journalist doing a magazine feature (Cate Blanchett) an airline pilot from Kentucky who claims he is Zissou&s son (Owen Wilson) an emotionally needy European (Willem Dafoe) an acoustic guitarist who sings David Bowie songs in Brazilian Portuguese (Seu Jorge) Zissou&s brilliant wife (Anjelica Houston) & her ex-husband who is Zissou&s seafaring nemesis (Jeff Goldblum) Clad in baby-blue polyester uniforms Adidas sneakers & red stocking caps Team Zissou is a sight to see & as their deep-sea adventure takes them into dangerous waters where they are attacked by pirates & dazzled by CGI fish the group finds magic both in their bonds to each other & in the colourful world around them In keeping with Anderson&s unique brand of escapist humour these caricatured characters are nothing short of fascinating While their lives are extraordinary they act bored dwelling on banalities like hurt feelings jealousy & loneliness The more absurd their stories are the more believable their quirky personalities become With plenty of hilarious moments offsetting the film&s tongue-in-cheek sentimentalism THE LIFE AQUATIC is sure to please seasoned Anderson fans & make new ones of the uninitiated