Life of Pi

An Indian man named Piscine Molitor Patel tells a young writer an adventure in his life that is said to make him believe in God. It starts when he is a little boy and is being brought up Hindu, but soon starts to learn and follow Christianity and Islam. The story picks up when his Father is forced to sell the family zoo and move his family to Canada, bringing many of the animals along on a Japanese freighter on the journey. In the middle of the night, the ship sinks, leaving Pi and some of the animals alone in a lifeboat. This fantastic tale is made up mostly of how he survives in the middle of the ocean with a Bengal Tiger...named Richard Parker.

Cast

Suraj Sharma       Pi Patel

Irrfan Khan          Adult Pi Patel

Ayush Tandon      Pi Patel (11 / 12 Years)

Gautam Belur       Pi Patel (5 Years)

Adil Hussain         Santosh Patel

Tabu                  Gita Patel

Rafe Spall           Writer

Gérard Depardieu  Cook

Who will like this movie:

While there are several scary moments in "Life of Pi", I believe that this is a story that can be enjoyed by just about all ages. However, it also has some slow-moving parts that may not keep very young viewers attention. My suggestion would be that it is not a movie for toddlers. Some of the visual splendor actually reminds me of "2001: A Space Odyssey".  And although the message is different, those who liked Tom Hanks "Castaway" should like this one as well. It almost has a feel of a M. Night Shyamalan movie (which is ironic in the fact that he was attached to write and direct the movie early on).

Phantom Thoughts

I am a little late on this movie, but seeing as how I saw it on March 14th (Pi Day) I thought it only fitting.  Watching it in 3-D is really the only way to go. The visual aspect is just to magnificent to put into words. As you may have guessed, there is a ton of CGI in it, but it done so remarkably, that you don't notice it at all. One of the main characters is Richard Parker, the name of the tiger who takes this journey with young Pi. I really could not tell where the CGI tiger began and the live action tiger ended, and THAT is an amazing accomplishment in itself.

The story of survival on the Pacific ocean is a bit fantastic and unbelievable, while being totally believable at the same time. But when taken in context of the story he's telling and why he's telling it, it all makes perfect sense.

I thought the story of how he changed his name, in fact re-inventing himself, was fun to watch. Pi makes a personal and spiritual adventure in finding out who he is and what his relationship with God is. The fact that he keeps his mind open to pretty much all religions makes anyone watching inclusive into it. This blends beautifully into the plot of Pi and Richard Parker alone and the survival of the two of them.

Although I don't think it deserved all of the accolades it received and certainly believe that there are more directors worthy of the Oscar this year than Ang Lee, I can't put up too much of an argument against them. The story was intriguing and complete. The technical execution of the special effects were flawless. And the splendor of color and brilliance that was masterfully projected upon these eyes were indescribable.

Until next time, see you in the center seat.