Life Of Pi

LIFE OF PI
 

Year : 2012

Director : Ang Lee

Genre : Fantasy / Drama

Rating : *****

This movie is one of only a handful of movies that I can say is a masterpiece, in storytelling, acting and visual effects. Ang Lee has created on of the most spellbinding movies of all time, with one or two moments which genuinely take your break away. If this doesn't win Best Picture at the Oscars, I will eat my metaphorical hat.

'Life Of Pi' begins with an author visiting a house in Canada to see someone who supposedly has a fantastic story to tell. When he meets the man named Piscine Molitor 'Pi' Patel, he is told that not only will Pi's story be good to write about, but that it will also make the author believe in God. Pi then begins to tell the story of how his family tried to move their zoo to Canada when they go broke in India, but on their voyage, the ship encounters a terrible storm which sinks it, killing all of Pi's family. This leads to Pi, who survives the sinking, being left on a lifeboat with a zebra, an orangutan, a hyena and an adult Bengal tiger named Richard Parker floating in the middle of the pacific ocean.

The first thing to say about 'Life Of Pi' is that it is one of the best directed films I have ever seen, and it is clear that Ang Lee obsessed about every nuance of this movie. The narrative is crisp, the plot is concise and everything falls in place like a mystical jigsaw puzzle. From the dazzling opening credits, to the philosophical climax, 'Life Of Pi' is really a movie to be seen to be believed.

The lead actor who plays Pi for the majority of the film is Suraj Sharma, a newcomer who has been recently nominated for the BAFTA's rising star award. If I had my way, Sharma would win, but he against some very tough competetion namely coming from Elizabeth Olson, the lead actress in the disturbing 'Martha Marcy May Marlene' in which she delivers a bravura performance. But as much as Olsons' acting is brilliant, Sharma clinches it with his riviting character who is determined to live, but also accepts that he may die and the theological implications of this. The rest of the cast are excellent, from all the young actors who played Pi as a child and Irfan Khan who plays Pi as an adult as well as the rest of the supporting cast portraying Pi's doomed family.

While the acting is brilliant, it is nothing compared to the special effects, which are first rate and beat the blue Nav'i and the world of Pandora in 'Avatar' hands down. The computer generated animals including the tiger Richard Parker are seamlessly woven into the frames of the movie without ever sticking out like most other CGI creatures in movies. There are scenes of awe-inspiring beauty in 'Life Of Pi' most memorably a scene of a blue whale breaching out of the ocean during the middle of the night while a million bioluminescent creatures light up the sea. Never before have I literally gasped out loud in the cinema, as did the 10 other people in the auditorium with me. It was a highlight in my cinematic life and I will never forget it.

One of the most impressive things about 'Life Of Pi' is the philosophical and theological message that is woven into the movie. Throughout the beginning of the movie, the young Pi discovers Hinduism, Christianity and Islam and embraces elements of each religion to form his own perfect religion. He takes joy in the peace of Islam, the love of Jesus Christ and the beauty of Hinduism. These beliefs are what help Pi survive his ordeal, and keep his spirits alive. How refreshing it is to see in a world where wars over religion and beliefs still rage on, a successful, multi award nominated movie can have such a simple but powerful message in it's narrative. Maybe if more people embraced the beliefs of Pi, the world would be a happier, peaceful more understanding place to live and it is through characters like him that we can understand the beauty and the gift of life.

The movie is long and at nearly 2 and a half hours, children may become restless and bored through 'Life Of Pi' so I wouldn't suggest taking them to the cinemas to see it. Wait until it comes out on DVD and watch it with them when they are slightly older, then they should appreciate the messages of 'Life Of Pi' as well as the visuals. For the rest of you, try and find a cinema that is showing this as this is one of the most beautiful movies ever made and if you miss out on a chance to see this in an auditorium, you are really missing a spectacle that will make you laugh, make you cry and will hopefully make you see the world in a more positive light. I know it certainly did for me and if I had seen this last year, it would have definetly been in my top 3 movies of 2012.

You'll like this if you liked : Pans Labyrinth, 127 Hours