Life of Pi

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There are some movies that stick with you long after you see them. For one reason or another, their images, their message, or their characters are translated to your memory without you really knowing. 

Here's an exercise...just think of the word "movie" and what comes to mind? Now, still in the "movie" context, think of the word "villain" and who comes up? What about "hero"? "Life"? "Death"? 

I'm betting that for each of those words, you have a different, but very distinct image in your head of some scene or character from a movie...something that subconsciously made it into your memory banks. 

I imagine that Life of Pi will be one of those movies. Years from now when I think of the word "story" or "religion" or "life" with regards to movies, Life of Pi will come to mind. Unlike many of the blockbusters this year, Life of Pi has something important to teach us and it does so in a truly magnificent fashion that takes the movie from something that could have been merely "OK" and instead arrives on the shores of "phenomenal". 

I'm pretty sure the tiger is completely CG, but honestly, most
of the time I couldn't tell the difference. Pretty remarkable

Sometimes the movie looks like it could
be a painting...beautiful

Life of Pi tells the story of a young Indian boy whose family owned a zoo and is on their way to move to Canada. The Japanese ship that they were on gets caught in a storm and sinks. Pi and the tiger survive and the movie is mostly about their time at sea for an obnoxious amount of days. I have not read the book, so I cannot comment on how close to the source material it is, but despite that fact it's a mesmerizing story regardless. It progresses well, has an ample amount of background and setup, and once it is all said and done, a proper closure. Director Ang Lee certainly spent a lot of time with this one and his care and vision shine through in almost every scene. 

Some critics have compared the visuals to Avatar...they wont get an argument from me.

As I think back on the film, it truly could have been a really average movie. It was always going to have a good story...but how do you make an exciting and attention-grabbing movie where 75% of it is in the middle of the ocean? Just thinking about that somewhat bores the hell out of me, and I'm sure Ang Lee must have known that. So he decided to make it one of the best visual treats this side of Avatar and Tron Legacy. More so with this movie than many others this year, you can tell that almost every frame was thought out. What angle do I want this from? What image do I want to capture on screen? And this care and attention to detail shows, especially once the movie moves to the ocean. I would say only Prometheus is this movie's competitor for best cinematography this year. It's truly enthralling stuff, especially in 3D. I often don't encourage 3D. Personally, I enjoy it most of the time, but I know a lot of people hate it. But Life of Pi is on a whole other level in 3D. It adds depth to the fantastic visuals and when there is movement, it takes advantage of it. During a scene featuring flying fish, I actually reflex-dodged out of the way of a fish on screen. I can't remember the last time that 3D has made me do that...

As I stated earlier, Life of Pi has an important message. At times, the movie makes you think that it is a religious message but the true message is underneath that. Pi practices and believes in several religions, he believes that the different gods of the world are all a part of the same overarching theme of God. The movie suggests that God is not Christian, not Buddhist, not Muslim, but rather a presence who places us on journeys in life. Whether you agree with this or not is invalid because that's not the purpose of the movie. The purpose of the movie is really a question and a statement: 

What is the story of your life?

Make it a story worth telling.

Pros:

• Visually near-perfect. Ang Lee could have made this movie normally and it would have been good but not great. Instead, he adds some magic to the screen and the movie becomes a whole new experience entirely. See it in 3D
• Book adaptation-accuracy aside, the story it tells is great from start to finish. It's emotional, exciting, and at the end, maybe not exactly what we think it is...
• Strong acting, good script, progresses in a logical manor
• The visuals wouldn't have meant anything had the cinematography not been up to par. Luckily, it's some of the best of the year

Cons:

• It is an exhausting movie. Pi gets wave after wave thrown at him and his battle for control of the boat with the tiger is somewhat repetitive. I understand it because that is the whole point of the movie, but the audience truly experiences his suffering...and at times it made me just...tired
• The original score is neither here nor there. It suffices at times, but I felt like a truly emotional original score would have made this movie even better
• This isn't really a con, but I felt it needed to be said somewhere. The movie should not be PG, it should be PG-13. I usually don't comment on stuff like this, but if you are thinking of bringing a little child, I would preview it first, especially if they are an animal lover. Early on, there is some harsh "circle of life" moments that even made me sad. Just a fair warning

Rath's Review Score: 9/10