I think “The Life of Pi” is an extraordinary film.
With that said, I can also see how many people wouldn’t like it very much.
The story is very philosophical and metaphorical. People looking for a little escape and brainless entertainment won’t find that here.
Director Ang Lee does a quite remarkable job at developing the characters quickly. They are archetypes mostly and remain true to form throughout their respective journeys. In fact the movie wouldn’t really work if this weren’t the case. We not only get to know these people in minutes, but we connect to and care about the sympathetic ones and develop a dislike of the nasty ones immediately. To illustrate this point, one character has about 30 seconds of screen time yet plays a major role in the plot.
The CGI is amazing. Probably the best I’ve ever seen. I saw it in 3D and whereas in many movies the 3d effect is a distraction, in this move it’s an enhancement. With very few exceptions the animals all look real and their movements are very natural. I couldn’t really tell when an actual animal was on-screen versus the computer generated version. This made the experience even more enjoyable for me.
Religion plays a central role in the film, but it never gets preachy. To say this movie has spiritual overtones is quite an understatement and is a key element of the story. Self-discovery, loss, doubt and redemption all blend into a seamless story which is at the same time implausible and utterly believable. “It’s not what happens to you, it’s how you react to it that matters” applies to the plot as well as the characters themselves.
I haven’t read the book so I can’t say how true to the source the movie is. What I can tell you is that after seeing this movie, I want to read the book. While this film was in production I read an article that stated the author never thought this book would be made into a movie because it would be too difficult to produce. It took quite a visionary crew to bring this story to the big screen.
See this movie with someone whom you believe to be a bit on the cerebral side. You’ll have plenty to contemplate and to talk about. If you enjoy talking about ethics, religion, spirituality or just good movie making you’ll have plenty of material.
