Life Of Pi Review: A Beautiful Experience!

Directed by Ang Lee, 'Life Of Pi' is an adventurous dramatic movie starring Suraj Sharma, Irrfan Khan, Tabu, Adil Hussain, Rafe Spall, and others in their respective roles. It is based on the 2001 novel of the same name written by Yann Martel. The film had pretty good expectations, because of its impressive promos, promising star-cast, hordes of praises from various film festivals, and much more. However the film had effectively fulfilled the expectations of the moviegoers and deserves the every bit of praises.
Rating :

Story
The story revolves around the heart-touching and unbelievable life of Piscine Molitor Patel aka 'Pi' Patel, which was played by Irrfan Khan as an adult Pi, Ayush Tandon as a small boy Pi, and Suraj Sharma as a young teenager Pi. Right from his childhood age, Pi started to believe in god very deeply, to such an extent that he use to follow almost every religion - be it Hindu, Muslim or Christianity. His father (Adil Hussain) was running a Zoo in Pondicherry (India), but after a certain period of time, unfortunately they had to shift their premise to Canada permanently. As the land of Zoo was owned by Government, so Pi's father decided to sell his animals to gather some income. While we're on the subject, Pi was very much fascinated towards a Bengal Tiger named Richard Parker right from his childhood, who was living in his Zoo.
One fine day when Pi and his family were travelling from India to Canada in a Ship, a very shocking mishap happened where a heavy storm sadly hit their ship and everybody died including Pi's whole family and also animals. The only survivor was the young teenage boy Pi who fortunately survived on a lifeboat, along with an orangutan (chimpanzee), hyena, a wounded zebra and the Bengal tiger Richard Parker. The story then follows how Pi and that fiery Bengal Tiger were eventually left on the lifeboat in the middle of Pacific Ocean, their adventurous journey of saving their lives from each other across the violent seas, their hope and struggle throughout days and months, and also turning out to be as friends and companion.

My reaction was pretty much the same as my reaction to the book. The setup is boring, the philosophical stuff is bunk, and the alternate explanation adds nothing. (Everything away from the water is even dumber and cheesier in the movie.)

But the core of the story- the boy, the tiger and the ocean- is sublime. It's as beautiful, as disconcerting and yet calming on the screen as could have been imagined from the page.

If I cut off the beginning and end and watched from shipwreck to shore, I could put on the 3D glasses and watch this over and over and over.

Life of Pi is exciting, dazzling and sensational, but if you read the book, my deepest sympathies. If you didn’t, sit back, relax and enjoy the wonder of modern technology as it distracts you from the story and advances even further in yet another visually groundbreaking film.

^ The film critic on cbs sunday morning really enjoyed this film, especially insight against all the soul crushingness of many films now, that is a more than fair point, horror film watcher an all, brake the ice. I don't know whether I'll like it, should see it in the theatres if I do.

Believable fantasy or unbelievable reality… "Life of Pi" is another example of magical cinema. Bengali tiger Richard Parker has a new fan in me!

Ashdoc's review---

Its jungle book all over again.....but with a story more like that of Robinson Crusoe.....

Its a world of nature that the director creates....

A world of the rolling sea and the vast ocean.....

Of water all around as far as the eye can see.....

Of thunderstorms and lightening and rain that soaks the body till it becomes bonechilled......

Of schools of flying fish that move like a wave hitting you like hail in a hailstorm.....

Of dolphins and giant whales that splash around with all their force resulting in mighty ripples.....

Of fluorescent fish whose light looks like a magician's dream silhouetted against the dark sky......

Of the sky gleaming with the billions and billions of stars at night.....

Of a remote island with unknown dangers the like of which you have never seen before.....

Of raccoon like creatures moving over your body in the thousands on the island.....

Of mighty carnivorous animals and predators and prey....

And above all a mighty tiger.....

Its the world of Pi....

And who's Pi ?? He's a person with an incredible story about being marooned alongside a lifeboat on the high seas along with a royal bengal tiger for company.....

An astounding tale of survival against all odds.....

And you do get amazed and enchanted by the special 3D effects that go a long way in making the movie pleasurable.....

Its the second half that holds the movie together and silences the sniggerring that the audience was doing at the end of the first half.....

For in the second half Pi learns to tame the tiger , crush his own fears , raise his hopes where there seem to be none and try to reach the realms of land and shore and civilization.....

And while doing so he looks more and more like a modern day mowgli from jungle book....

But does he succeed in his quest ??

Go and watch the movie for that.....

It wont be a bad outing....

Verdict---decent enough .