10 Critically Abused Films That We All Loved Anyway (And Why)

10. The Life Aquatic With Steve Zissou (2004)

Rotten Tomatoes Critic Score: 56%

Rotten Tomatoes Audience Score: 82%

Wes Anderson’s fourth feature film stars regular collaborator Bill Murray as Steve Zissou, an eccentric oceanographer who assembles a team of seamen and sets out to take revenge on the so-called jaguar shark that ate his partner and friend, Esteban. 

The film was something of a cross between a parody and a homage, with Anderson’s inspiration for the character coming from French explorer and pioneer of diving Jacques Cousteau, to whom the film is dedicated.

What The Critics Said:

Unlike Anderson’s previous effort the much-loved The Royal Tenenbaums – which holds an impressive 80% Fresh rating on Rotten Tomatoes – The Life Aquatic failed to float the critics’ boats. The deep sea adventure film was dubbed smug, ironic and artificial, with Anderson’s signature style being called into question. 

The New Yorker’s Anthony Lane criticised the movie for its unmistakable air of playacting, suggesting that large chunks of it seem to take place within invisible quotation marks.

Why We Love It Anyway:

For a film with so much water, The Life Aquatic is very, very dry, and in the end it was simply too dry for the taste of even some of the top film critics. 

While those in the know where calling it a lazy and dreary effort, Audience Reviews on Rotten Tomatoes were hailing The Life Aquatic as hilarious, heartfelt and visually stunning, with some viewers that were not fans of the director’s previous work admitting that it was this film that turned them into Wes Anderson fans.