I've seen it twice, and I just don't understand how it deserves the praise its been getting.

I could do without the CGI, although I completely understand about budget limitations. They simply shouldnt have been in the movie.

I thought the script was pretty weak, the story was pretty loose, and it just didn't keep my attention.

I will say the sets were great and the little jokes here and there were mildly funny.

Im going with CRAP with a Waffle of 2.75.

i'll say here what i said on another board:

"terrible. very disappointing. wes anderson no longer has even a passing interest in character development. it just felt like watching a precious exercise in set decoration, with miles of unfunny deadpan dialogue. all the predictable wes anderson plot points are hit, except now there's also a death towards the end that feels completely unearned. he bungled this one.

the upside is it's a gorgeous movie to watch. visually, best movie of the year.

but i am still of the opinion that every new wes anderson movie has been slightly worse than the last one since bottle rocket."

so, CRAP

I was fairly disappointed with this one, there is simply no way around it

I wouldn't say Anderson dropped the ball, exactly, but I've enjoyed his previous three films immensely, and this one was just kind of _there_ without really being particularly funny, except in parts.

I'd still recommend it- there were certain touches of brilliance, like the Bowie songs in Portuguese, red stocking caps, scene where Bill Murray's shooting at the pirates, etc etc.

...I have not heard any good reviews of the film yet... just bad reviews.

So here's a fair and balancedtm view of the film:

I liked it, a lot.

I dunno why. The first 20 minutes are a bear but I felt this is the only place the movie could have used a little more focus or character development. It took a little patience to find the 'feel' of the film which I felt was different than his other films. remember this is the first film that was not co-written with Owen Wilson but some other guy. It's different but still good.

The last half of the movie however was great; Funny, sad, touching. The CG stuff was cute, not over done.

I wonder if it will be edited for the DVD release.

Cheers,

All valid points. The beginning was lacking for sure. I had a hard time getting a feel for it. I, too, could've done without the special effects. They seemed so pointless. And after the aforementioned death I couldn't care less about the remaining characters. Still, I enjoyed most of it and I'm giving it a not crap. I'd watch it again. It had it's moments. And it's better than 95% of the garbage out there. Still, I hope Anderson's next one is a return to form.

I thought it was great. I just love the shots & cuts that Mr. Anderson assembles, always with key information, but with just a little more.

crap

realy the only thing that i care about is bill murray and the characters that he plays. this life aquatic, he was just an asshole who did little to redem himself.

remember this is the first film that was not co-written with Owen Wilson but some other guy.

it was co-written with the guy who wrote Kicking and Screaming, a brilliant movie. i forget his name..

i'm looking forward to seeing it

Worth the price of admission solely for the full-size ship cut-away shot. That shit was glorious.

Visually, the movie is very good as usual though not on par with Tennenbaums (which I hold as having some of the richest and best executed visuals on film). The story was much of the same "absentee father / what a kid wishes his father were" story as in previous WA movies, but this time it's not buried in much of a story. I'd like to see it again because most of his movies don't fully reveal themselves until after 3 or so viewings (and I'm admittedly pretty slow). Overall, not his best but still better than 95% of what's out there.

CRAP.

The cast is out of control, but you can't polish a turd.

The soundtrack is fucking awful. Don't get me wrong, I love me some Devo, Stooges, Bowie, etc., but Wes Anderson's cheap ploy of pasting the sentiment of a song onto a scene, especially when he can't make ya feel it himself, fails miserably this time. It's not a soundtrack, it's a mixtape. There is a difference.

The boat stage is cool, and the monkeys in the hotel are cool. Everything else is total dogshit. This guy is pulling a Metallica. He owes me $10.