Director: Ang Lee
Writer: David Magee (based off novel by Yann Martel)
Starring: Suraj Sharma, Irrfan Khan, Tabu
‘Beautiful Book Adaptation’
Making a movie about stranded people is no easy job. The story has to be engaging and thoughtful enough to enhance the film to another level. There has to be strong character development too. If there isn’t, the movie most likely would not work.
Suraj Sharma stars in the leading role as Pi, a young Indian boy who survives a shipwreck. When all hope is lost, Pi is plunged into an epic journey of discovery with a Bengali tiger.
Very few movies have the ability to engage through visuals. A minority succeed. In 2009, James Cameron delivered in terms of visuals with “Avatar”, but the movie was a letdown due to a formulaic story. “Life of Pi”, however, succeeds in connecting emotionally with an audience.
Based off a book that was considered inadaptable, Ang Lee’s “Life of Pi” is a visually marvelous film about survival. It combines fine storytelling with powerful performances to achieve a distinct and spiritual message.
Ang Lee’s direction is top-notch. He manages to tell an interesting and extraordinary story, while also paying close attention to visuals. This film has a unique storyline that deserves to be told. Through an inspiring screenplay and evocative visuals, it’s told wonderfully.
The visual effects are miraculously executed and some of the best ever put to screen. Each shot is vivid and bright, flowing with an impressive choice of colors. A notable and miraculous factor in this movie is the CGI-created tiger. It’s so realistic and well-made that it can easily be mistaken as a natural animal. Claudio Miranda’s cinematography is deeply satisfying, giving the movie a great deal of detail. A particular scene that should be mentioned for its superiority is the shipwreck. It’s intense, suspenseful, realistic, and quite breathtaking. In 3D format it’s even more effective, rivalling the visual experience of films such as “Titanic.”
First-time performances are mostly subject to near failure, but this movie proves the expected completely wrong. Suraj Sharma delivers a powerful performance as Pi Patel. He is charismatic, genuine, and highly convincing. This allows the audience to not only care for his character, but also sympathize with him. His character is very well-developed, and this makes Sharma’s performance even better.
The rest of the cast, which includes Irrfan Khan, Tabu, and Rafe Spall is fantastic. Irrfan Khan is particularly powerful, delivering emotional monologues guaranteed to bring viewers to tears. It’s a sad reminder of how great an actor he once used to be before his untimely passing.
While “Life of Pi” is thoroughly enjoyable, it still has flaws associated with it. The pacing of the movie is (in parts) extremely slow, due to a lack of action or events. In turn, the film is also too long. Whether this is because of fitting most of the novel into the movie, or not, it deteriorates the film tremendously.
Regardless of its problems, “Life Pi” is worth a watch and a solid recommendation.
I have to admit that I found myself pondering on the movie’s impactful messages, which reflected intriguing relationships between animals and humans long after the credits rolled.
4.5/5 stars
The Film Buff 
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