BY GLENN WHIPP >FILM CRITIC

One could easily see Wes Anderson's latest movie, "The Darjeeling Limited," as a reaffirmation (rehash would be a less generous term) of themes and elements we've seen before in Wes' World.

There's a romance with an exotic stranger, just like "Bottle Rocket."

The action takes places on a moving location as it did in "The Life Aquatic With Steve Zissou." Anderson regulars Owen Wilson, Jason Schwartzman, Bill Murray and Anjelica Huston appear. The main characters come from a privileged background and are dealing with the fallout from remote, absent parents.

There's the perfect use of an iconic Rolling Stones song, a whimsical comic tone, a longing for an absent father and fantastically meticulous design and construction.

The good news is that unlike Anderson's last movie, the static "Life Aquatic," "Darjeeling" represents a return to form and an artistic leap forward for one of America's most gifted filmmakers. More than any of his other films, "Darjeeling" (which Anderson co-wrote with Schwartzman and Roman Coppola) lets in the chaos of the outside world, setting up a push-pull dynamic between the director's sense of order and the randomness of the universe.

The movie has three estranged brothers reuniting for a train trip across India. Older brother Francis (Owen Wilson) came up with the idea and has an unseen assistant laminating daily itineraries so the boys can find the spiritual enlightenment they so desperately need.

(Don't think that the irony of Francis' exacting pursuit of the indefinable is lost on Anderson.)

The brothers haven't seen each other for a year, not since their father's funeral. In the meantime, the youngest, Jack (Schwartzman), has fled to Europe, recovering from a broken heart after a fling with a predatory pixie (Natalie Portman). (An aside: Before seeing "Darjeeling," find Anderson's short, companion film, "Hotel Chevalier," on the Internet. It's absolutely perfect and serves as a revealing introduction to "Darjeeling.")

Middle brother Peter (Adrien Brody) uses the train trip as an excuse to flee as well, escaping the idea of having a child with a woman he thought he'd divorce. (Or was she going to divorce him?) Peter wears his father's prescription sunglasses and totes along several other familial keepsakes as a way of avoiding what he needs to face - his grief.

Francis has bandages, which he explains are the result of a motorcycle accident. Like his siblings, Francis is an expert at withholding information. The vulnerability that Wilson brings to the character is heartbreaking, even more so given recent events in the actor's own life. In a long line of soulful sad sacks, this might be Wilson's most deeply felt work.

Initially, there's a lot of comic business involving Indian pain medication, designer suitcases, savory snacks and poisonous snakes.

But as the journey unfolds and Anderson takes in India's vibrant colors and channels, the country's mysterious spirituality, something magical happens and the viewer's experience begins to mirror the brothers'. And it reaches a place deep in the heart and soul.

Anderson has pulled the heartstrings before, though that seems to go unnoticed by people who get distracted by his precisely constructed worlds. But the beautiful, wistful melancholy of "Bottle Rocket," "Rushmore" and "The Royal Tenenbaums" has been augmented here by a more mature empathy and understanding for the vast world outside of Anderson's making. It makes for an extraordinary movie, filled with splendor, laughter and a touch of cosmic wisdom. You won't forget it.

Glenn Whipp, (818) 713-3672 glenn.whipp@dailynews.com

review>

THE DARJEELING LIMITED

>R: language
>Starring: Owen Wilson, Adrien Brody, Jason Schwartzman.
>Director: Wes Anderson.
>Running time: 1 hr. 31 min.
>Playing: ArcLight in Hollywood; AMC Century 15 in Century City; Laemmle's Monica in Santa Monica.
>In a nutshell: Anderson's latest lets in the chaos of the outside world and reaches a place deep in the heart and soul.