By now you know what you're getting with a movie by Wes Anderson ("Rushmore," "The Royal Tenenbaums"). His low-key, sometimes cerebral and sometimes silly brand of humor has brought him legions of fans, but there are just as many who find it tiresome.

There have also been complaints that his films are emotionally distant, aloof and cold. But that at-arm's-length quality does serve Anderson's latest film, "The Life Aquatic With Steve Zissou," which opens in theaters on Saturday.

In its own peculiar way, this comedy/fantasy is all about man's relationship with both nature and his fellow man, as well as how "unreal" modern-day existence has become.

There are rewards if you make the effort to understand what Anderson and co-screenwriter Noah Baumbach are trying to say, and at times "The Life Aquatic With Steve Zissou" is weird, wild and wonderful.

The title character (Bill Murray) is a once-famous oceanographer who's out for revenge after his best friend (Seymour Cassel) is eaten by what he calls a "jaguar shark."

Steve is trying to get funding to head out on an expedition — to track down and kill this never-before-seen creature. At the same time, he's trying to come to terms with Ned Plimpton (Owen Wilson), who might be his illegitimate son. He's also dealing with Jane Winslett-Richardson (Cate Blanchett), a pregnant journalist who's determined to write a story about the "real" Steve Zissou.

Other subplots deal with various members of the crew, including his estranged wife (Anjelica Huston) and a rival (Jeff Goldblum) whose success seems to torment Steve.

The film is a little overstuffed and there are some moments that fall flat. But there are also many laugh-out-loud sequences.

Still, Murray works wonders with a character who's actually pretty unlikable. There's something compelling about the character's inability to own up to his past mistakes and learn from them, and his strained relationships with Wilson and Blanchett's characters are very believable.

Part of the film's charm also comes from such innovations as the stop-motion animated "puppets," created by Henry Selick ("James and the Giant Peach," "The Nightmare Before Christmas"), as well as the acoustic versions of David Bowie songs, which are sung in Portuguese by Brazilian performer Seu Jorge on the soundtrack.

"The Life Aquatic With Steve Zissou" is rated R for occasional use of strong sexual profanity, violence (some fisticuffs, gunfire and explosive mayhem), simulated drug use (marijuana), use of some crude sexual slang terms, brief female nudity, brief gore and some brief sexual contact. Running time: 118 minutes.

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