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Movie Review: Life of Pi

Suraj Sharma
Director: Ang Lee
Stars: Suraj Sharma, Irrfan Khan, Rafe Spall, Tabu
Genre(s): Science Fiction, Drama, Action/Adventure
Release Date: November 21, 2012
Rotten Tomatoes Score: 89%







In Life of Pi, Oscar-winning director Ang Lee (Brokeback Mountain) proves that he is one of the most gifted filmmakers in Hollywood.  That is not to say that his latest endeavor, one of the few recent 3D flicks that was actually filmed in 3D [as opposed to converted to 3D in post-production], is a "masterpiece" -- that one word implies so much.  Visually, it is a masterpiece, and I did not regret spending a few dollars more for the added experienced of that third dimension.  The rest of the film is not perfect, to be sure, but Lee takes what was deemed an "unfilmable" novel and makes it into a profound, entertaining, and at times heart-wrenching epic film.

Life of Pi is meant to be a family film, and it probably does appeal to children; yet, it pushes the limits of its PG rating.  This should not, however, deter parents from bringing their young ones along with them.  It is up to the individual parent(s) to determine whether or not it will be appropriate for the child(ren).  Young theatre-goers may not appreciate the sheer magnificence of the visuals, but adults most certainly will.  I can imagine that some scenes were no less riveting in 2D -- or, "regular D," as I like to call it.

Visuals aside, the script, acting, editing, and music are all excellent, so it is no wonder that Life of Pi received 11 Oscar nominations, its likeliest wins being for visual effects and for original score.  Directors often take risks casting unknowns in lead roles; fortunately, Lee has succeeded in choosing promising newcomer Suraj Sharma as the title character, "Pi."  Sharma is talented enough to make Pi's plight believable, or as believable as it can possibly be.  Of course he is not standing inches away from a vicious Bengal tiger -- it was nearly all CGI --  but I applaud Sharma's talent for making it seem as though he truly is fearing that the tiger will attack him, among many other [seemingly] insurmountable dilemmas he must face.

A substantial amount of time is spent on explaining Pi's back story, so that by the time the shipwreck tragedy occurs, we feel his pain at having lost his family.  Perhaps the one bit that I found slightly off was the fact that the older Pi -- played by Irrfan Khan (Slumdog Millionaire) -- is narrating his story to a random writer (Rafe Spall); I found those scenes relatively awkward.  Oddly, that part was the most difficult for me to find realistic, but it did not distract too much from the plot.  This ultimately becomes important at the end, when there is a sort of twist that leads to an ambiguous conclusion.

Overall, Lee's Life of Pi is thoroughly deserving of all its accolades.  Some viewers may feel it is too overdone and too unbelievable, but I felt that its ability to strain the limits of credulity is admirable.  That success most certainly lies with its ambitious and exceptional director, and with its committed, diverse cast (hey, look, there's [disgraced] French actor Gerard Depardieu!)  Thank you, Ang Lee, for reminding us that good books can be adapted into great movies.      



Grade: A-





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