Ignore the title. This conventional, unadventurous biopic ploddingly tells the story of the French ocean explorer and film-maker Jacques Cousteau – though the underwater sequences are stunning.
Lambert Wilson gives an accomplished if uninspired performance as Cousteau, who became a household name in the 1950s, instantly recognisable by his trademark knitted red beanie hat. Wilson’s solipsistic Cousteau is a flawed, driven man whose ego and hunger for fame match his passion for diving. Audrey Tautou does her best with not very much as his wife; Pierre Niney is his environmentally conscious son.
It’s a handsome film, but in the end perhaps Wes Anderson’s pastiche approach in The Life Aquatic (in which Bill Murray’s character is a tribute to Cousteau) more vividly brought to life the era of the last great adventurer-superstars.
