A number of roles were specifically written for the actors, so it's just as well that Anderson snared them.

Focal character Steve Zissou happily sees Bill Murray (right) remove himself from his passive Lost in Translation role. But not entirely. Although Zissou, underwater adventurer and documentary maker - modelled on 1970s TV star the late Jacques Cousteau - is something of a live-in-the-moment loose cannon, both of Murray's recent characters face a series of life crises.

The plot premise hinges on Team Zissou taking to the ocean to track down the little-known jaguar shark that gorged on Zissou's partner, while making the last documentary. Along the way, interruptions come, in the form of Zissou's wife, Eleanor (Angelica Huston) leaving him, his unknown son Ned (Owen Wilson) announcing his existence, piracy and kidnapping on the high waters, to name a few. Meanwhile, a journalist (Cate Blanchett) is noting all goings-on down, while experiencing her own dilemma as a single mum-to-be.

The film is visually intriguing. The explorer boat Belafonte, a rusting hulk with character, is cut into cross section to film theatrical-like simultaneous action and flowing action from cabin to cabin. Saturated colours drench the screen and old fashioned stop-motion animation (a la Bedknobs and Broomsticks) adds an element of surreal fantasy, which for some may be a little out of place.

The soundtrack includes a lot of 1970s David Bowie numbers, including Portuguese acoustic versions by Brazilian cast member Seu Jorge, who appears as part of Team Zissou.

The extras: Unusually, two versions have been produced simultaneously by the same label: Criterion. The single disc set has a handful of goodies. Its commentary track - even though it features Anderson and unheralded co-writer Noah Baumbach - is of surprisingly poor audio quality, because they recorded it at a restaurant where they did most of the writing. Starz on the Set has plenty of comment from cast and director. There are also 10 deleted scenes and a trailer.

For a few dollars more, and less readily available on local shelves, is the two-disc Criterion Collection edition, which has a lot more extras: a making-of featurette; several separate video interviews with the director, composer and cast on set; a video diary by intern actor Matthew Gray Gubbler; an Italian TV interview with Anderson and Baumbach; and 10 complete video performances of Bowie songs in Portuguese by Jorge.

The verdict: Amusing at times, with a wealth of cinematic eye candy throughout, this is certainly worth viewing.