Advertisement
Powered By
IMDB

Review

A star rating of 2 out of 5.

The late Jacques Cousteau brought undersea exploration alive for a generation of television viewers in the 1960s and 70s, but all was not well behind the scenes, if this biographical drama is to be believed. In Lambert Wilson's portrayal of the man, we discover an ambitious, if somewhat aloof individual seemingly more interested in furthering his own brand identity than preserving ocean life for the future. Made without the involvement of the Cousteau estate, it's certainly far from hagiography, but if Cousteau's drive and energy are wondrous, the film finds little emotional empathy in his story. Instead, his idealistic, eco-aware son Philippe becomes the focus of attention, though director Jérôme Salle surely misses a trick by giving away his unfortunate fate in a pre-titles teaser. It's a surprisingly uninvolving experience, with lots of felicitous period detail, some obvious digital embellishments in the sub-aquatic scenes, and poor Audrey Tautou plugging away in a thankless role as Cousteau senior's neglected spouse.

How to watch

Loading

Credits

Cast

rolename
Jacques-Yves CousteauLambert Wilson
Philippe CousteauPierre Niney
Simone CousteauAudrey Tautou
Philippe TailliezLaurent Lucas
Jean-Michel CousteauBenjamin Lavernhe
Albert "Bébert" FalcoVincent Heneine
JanChloé Hirschman
David WolperAdam Neill

Crew

rolename
DirectorJérôme Salle

Details

Theatrical distributor
Altitude
Released on
2017-08-18
Languages
English | French
Available on
DVD and Blu-ray
Formats
Colour
Advertisement
Advertisement

RadioTimes.com is getting better.

Fresh new look, redesigned programme hub, richer content…

FIND OUT MORE
Advertisement