Life of Pi (2012)
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Life of Pi Movie Review
Life of Pi is a 2012 adventure film directed by Ang Lee and starring Suraj Sharma and Irrfan Khan. It is one of the best adventure movies of the century.
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“I suppose in the end, the whole of life becomes an act of letting go,
but what always hurts the most is not taking a moment to say goodbye“
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A young man who survives a disaster at sea is hurtled into an epic journey of adventure and discovery. While cast away, he forms an unexpected connection with a fearsome Bengal tiger. Back when this movie was released, it earned over 600 million at the box office and it received eleven Academy Award nominations, which led to the second directing win for Lee. Needless to say, it was a huge hit commercially and critically, and I personally find it to be absolutely fantastic.
I watched it for the first time back when it was released and it was one of the best 3D cinema experience that I’ve ever had personally. Watching it now again after ten years and on a much smaller TV screen, I have to say that it still holds that power and a special place in my heart. It was one of the best movies of that year and the second best Ang Lee film after ‘Brokeback Mountain’. This is Lee at the top of his powers in a film where he fused both his populist and artistic instincts into a wildly satisfactory, epic package.
Based on a very popular and respected novel, this adapted screenplay is one of the best in recent Hollywood history. Everything here clicked in its place and the result is this somewhat familiar narrative that is transcended to greater heights due to the emphasis on philosophical themes about religion and truth as well as a highly emotional tone. The two sides of the same story ending was deep and thought-provoking, not to mention extremely emotionally rewarding.
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The movie did risk becoming too schmaltzy at times, but eventually Lee found the right balance between heart and realism. The thematic resonance to this movie is undeniably rich. As an atheist/agnostic myself, I found the treatment of religion here fascinating. It’s a pensive, intriguing story that makes you think about storytelling and how stories are always better with the addition of that spiritual element. The spirituality as evidenced here was truly poetic and deep while the depiction of all life forms being co-dependent was truthful and important.
Admittedly, the protagonist isn’t quite as complex as this type of story demanded. His relationship with the cool, menacing, animalistic tiger was fascinating and the movie’s depiction of animals being animalistic and never too humanized was very realistic. But I expected more depth from the character himself and the performance from Suraj Sharma, though good, is not really mind-blowing. Irrfan Khan fared better in a much more moving and memorable turn.
Life of Pi is a truly staggering technical achievement. This is one of the rare CGI movies that look timeless and actually depict animals and landscapes realistically. I did believe that I was witnessing a real tiger, zebra and orangutan. The fish are too colorful, but still gorgeous. The night scene with the jellyfish was just breathtaking. It’s a beautiful adventure with the boat scenes being both wildly entertaining and very believable in all scenarios.
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The film never forgets to be moving and richly layered. Despite all of these amazing, truly incredible VFX, it still retains its heart and soul. It is consistently engaging, even the beginning that was overly novelistic in approach, but still quite endearing. The production design, costumes, breathtaking score and superb editing and pacing made Life of Pi a truly cinematic, powerful viewing experience. On top of that, it features masterful direction and a lot of charming, old-fashioned, soulful storytelling at its core.
