Movie Review: Life of Pi - in 3D

[The Annoyed Man]

Just now got home from seeing Life of Pi in 3D. This is absolutely one of the very best eye-candy movies ever put to film, a simple MUST SEE. Spiritually, it administers a pretty strong dose of a sort of ecumenicalist/Deepak-Chopra view of God and mysticism—paying equal homage to Christianity, Islam, Hinduism, and Buddhism. ...not exactly my own religious cup of tea....but one must make of that what one's conscience dictates, and it is still very much possible to enjoy this movie strictly as storytelling without necessarily accepting any of its spiritual premises. But beyond that, it is beautiful storytelling in the very best of oral tradition in the sense that Pi, the protagonist is orally telling HIS story while the move tells THE story as an overlay. And at the end, there is a marvelous but subtle twist to the plot.

The storytelling takes place against a backdrop of such vivid cinematography that it is difficult to tell where the cinematic backdrop begins and the oral storytelling ends. There were moments when I was so engrossed in the story and experiencing it with Pi, that I forgot that I was actually watching the most beautiful 3D cinema I've ever seen. Parts of it were almost like being inside a Maxfield Parrish poster, taking place under water so clear that it was like air.

This movie is almost certain to win the Oscar for cinematography. Irrfan Khan as the adult Piscine Molitor "Pi" Patel, and Suraj Sharma as Pi at age 16, do a very good job....particularly Khan. Rafe Joseph Spall (Prometheus) does a decent job as "the writer" to whom Pi is telling his story. The CG is simply mind-boggling, making Avatar look almost amateurish. If it weren't for such a strong story and good acting, it would be easy for the CG to simply overpower the rest of the movie, like putting a tablespoon of wasabi on a slice of sashimi. Fortunately it does not as the story and the acting stand up well on their own, but there is no doubt that the CG is the icing on the cake, so to speak, and certainly costars along with Khan and Sharma.

I simply cannot get past how visually stunning Life of Pi is. This is possibly the most beautiful movie I've ever seen. I never even considered going to see it in 2D, although it was playing that way in another of the theaters in the cinema complex we went to see it at. 3D is the only way to see this film and I would highly recommend this movie to anyone interested in seeing it.

That said, although Life of Pi is rated PG and while there is no cursing or sexuality, it does have a few scenes that a small child might find disturbing. The animals are NOT cute and cuddly, and the Tiger has to eat something. He is not a benevolent Aslan. I would not bring a child under 10 years old to see this. Also, there are long stretches of it that a child might simply find boring because the story gets fairly esoteric, and most of the movie takes place at sea, adrift in a lifeboat. However, any adult would likely find this movie to be a real treat for the eyes.


(EDITED TO FIX A WORD OMISSION)

[C-dub]

Thanks for the review TAM. My daughter and I would like to go see this.

[Jaguar]

My wife and I went to see it Sunday evening, and I agree with TAM, absolutely stunning visually and the 3D was amazing. We had both read the book many years ago and although the film held very close to the book, neither of us were board knowing what was about to happen. As TAM said, the visual of the movie could easily have overwhelmed a weaker story, but this story kept us engrossed all the way to the end.

My last experience at a theater was not pleasant at all, rude people doing rude things, so I was hesitant to plop down twenty buck to repeat that experience. I am happy I did; waiting for this to come out on DVD would have deprived me of one of the best movie experiences I’ve ever had since seeing Star Wars in 1977. I was amazed at the technology and enthralled in the story.

I was just a tiny bit disappointed they left out my favorite quote by Pi from the book concerning agnosticism; “To choose doubt as a philosophy of life is akin to choosing immobility as a means of transportation.”

[Abraham]

How well does it compare to the book?

Not to disparage the movie (how could I, I haven't seen it) but I'm generally disappointed when a book gets screen played into a movie that most often seems to have little to do with the book, except the title...

[Jaguar]

I found it followed the book very well. There are always things that don't translate well, or there is just not enough time for in a 2 hour movie, but from my memory (I read the book at least two years ago, maybe longer) it is close.

When the film version of "Lord of the Rings" came out, I re-read the books before seeing the film and was disappointed of the things compressed, omitted, and changed. I learned my lesson and did not do that with "Life of Pi" so maybe I am just not as critical. I need to re-read "Life of Pi" now that I have seen the movie to give a better answer.

[Abraham]

Thanks Jaguar!

Bizarre though it might sound, the closest movie to the book for me was of all books "Deliverance" by James Dickey, an American poet.

Yeah, his book and movie were off the charts non-poetic, but still a heckuva tale...

[The Annoyed Man]

I was not previously aware of the book, Life of Pi, until just before seeing the movie, so I haven't read it yet. Now I'll have to go get it to see for myself how it compares to the movie...........but then, I often do things backwards.

By the way, my younger brother's first name is "Pierre," and he has signed all of his emails and letters "Pi" for many years now. I don't know if it has anything to do with the book or not.