Life of Pi (2012)

 

Starring: Suraj Sharma, Irrfan Khan, Adil Hussain

Directed By: Ang Lee

Written By: David Magee, Yann Martel (novel)

Rating: PG

My Rating: 4.5 / 5

 

 

 First I'll say that Ang Lee has a knack for creating Oscar-buzz type of films and this one is no exception. The visuals make Life of Pi a true work of art that should not be overlooked under any circumstances. The sea life is just plain cool to look at, with vibrant colors that almost jump off the screen. Even the tiger (I still find it funny his name is Richard Parker, but I guess that's better than Pissing lol) has a glow about him that keeps your eyes locked onto him. Even having read the book I found the film to be very entertaining and the predictability factor... well, it wasn't much of a factor. I found myself so engaged with the cinematography I didn't care that the story was familiar.

The most interesting aspect here would be that the film tells you a spectacular, unbelievable tale but in the end Pi's forced to tell a more down-to-earth version. It leaves you pondering which version's better and whether it really makes a difference if what Pi says happened to him really did happen in the manner he tells us. To me the story's truthfulness mattered not. Yes, it's hard to fathom a carnivorous island in the middle of nowhere housing millions of meerkats which aren't the slightest bit afraid of humans. But who cares? That island looked pretty darn amazing.

Even if you've read the book you gotta give this one a look. I promise you will not be disappointed... even if novel-turned-films aren't your cup of tea.


Summary

What I liked:
cinematography
very likable characters
entertaining plot

What I didn't like:
run time
the ending