The Life of Pi Review
I actually saw this movie last week but have just now (Saturday night at 6:44pm, if any of you want a little insight into what my social life is like) found the time to write it up. To be honest, I have been less than motivated to write this one. Not because it was bad. Quite the contrary. When I see a bad movie I am way more motivated to write it up, like a tiger spotting a gazelle walking with a limp. Nothing but fresh meat. Plus the act of tearing a bad movie several new orifices has a wonderful purging effect, leaving me fresh as a daisy for the next film (sort of. I still have the taste of Jack and Jill in my mouth and that was over a year ago. There isn’t enough ginger in the world to clear your palette from really, really bad sushi).
No, the reason I have been less that motivated to write up this film is it actually was really good and I enjoyed it a lot, but it didn’t tickle my nerd nerve. How many ways can you find to say how beautiful an exquisite painting of a flower is? Sure, you could stand there for hours admiring it but in the end it is a picture of a flower. If I had enjoyed a science fiction or comic book movie I would have had it half written by the time I got home. This is a beautiful movie about a tiger on a lifeboat. Honestly, there isn’t much more I can say besides you should all go see it.
Sigh. I guess I don’t get paid for 250 word reviews (who is paying me for these again? Oh, yeah. No one). Before I go any deeper into it I must say no, I did not read the book. That seems to be the question everyone I tell I saw this flick is programmed to ask. Does that diminish my enjoyment of the film? Maybe. I won’t know until I read it. I have heard from people who have both read the book and watched the movie that the movie is less gory yet manages to retain the main message and a lot of the feel. I will say that it is very apparent that this film was based on a book, if only because this level of sophistication and creative fancifulness has long been missing from the hacks who currently write in Hollywood.
This is the story of Pi, a young Indian who gets trapped on a lifeboat with a tiger (tiger image from the Hangover courtesy of the Movie T Shirt catagory). The story is told as a flashback (suspiciously similar to Titanic, but I’ll let it slide) by adult Pi (Irrfan Khan-Slumdog Millionaire, the Amazing Spider Man, the Darjeeling Limited). It starts out with young Pi (Gautam Belur-first movie credit) growing up in a zoo and learning about how tigers are not friendly. There is a cute vignette about how he got his name. Then he is teenage Pi (Suraj Sharma-also first movie credit). His family is going to sell the zoo animals overseas and immigrate to Canada. While traveling with the animals the boat sinks (by the way, if you have any fears of being on a boat that is sinking this movie will do nothing to help you with that. I do and it creeped me the hell out). Pi ends up on a life raft with a zebra with a broken leg, a baboon, a jackel, and a tiger. In short order the ride is reduced to Pi and the tiger.
At that point it is just the story of Pi struggling to survive both the elements and the fact that there is a tiger in the boat with him. There are some really great moments as he figures out ways of keeping the tiger fed without being eaten himself, and clever ways he keeps himself from going stir crazy. There are some fanciful parts as well, such as star visions and a strange island. I’m not going to get too far into it as there are some cool twists and undercurrents and any spoilers would be a real disservice to a great film.
The stars. For a movie set on a life raft this film had depth that is missing from the vast majority of other films. Somehow the scope of the set managed to seem bigger than it really was, and the interaction between the tiger and Pi much more engaging than most films with two or more human actors. Two stars. A complex story masquerading as simple that managed to draw you in and still surprise you. One star. The film manages to connect you to the protagonist amazingly well. You are really rooting for him and hoping he survives. One star. You also get to like the tiger a great deal. One star. Overall a very high quality cinema experience. Three stars. Total: eight stars.
The black holes. Not a lot, really. It drags a little towards the middle, and you definitely know you have been in a 127 minute movie. I guess that’s about it. One black hole total.
A grand total of seven stars. Yet another great film that had me entranced without a single gun fight or explosion. I must be finally maturing. Should you see it? Yes. Yes you should. Even if this is not your style you will not at all regret the time. Date movie? An emphatic yes. If you take your girl to see this and Wreck it Ralph and she doesn’t sleep with you lose the number because it isn’t going to happen. Bathroom break? Unfortunately all the best chances to use the rest room are in the first 30 minutes or so. I’d say use the bathroom when the family first starts out on the boat and then hold it for the rest of the movie.
Thanks for reading. I don’t know if I have time to see something tomorrow but if I don’t I’ll try to go out on Monday. My life seems to get busier each month. At some point it will either slow down again or I will hit critical mass. Follow me on Twitter @Nerdkungfu. If you have a comment on this movie or my review post it here please. Any off topic question or suggestions can be emailed to [email protected]. Thanks again and have a great day.
Dave
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