Life of Pi Review

Ang Lee's latest rounds up.

Full, spoiler-free review by Isaac Handelman 

How do you make a movie about a teenage Indian boy stranded in a life raft on the Pacific Ocean with nothing but a Bengal tiger for company? Only one option presents itself: you make Life of Pi. This is, more so than any film released in recent memory, a one-of-a-kind experience. You’re unlikely to see anything that even vaguely resembles Pi for quite a while (maybe excluding the now-obligatory low budget cash-in ripoffs you can get at Redbox). It’s a movie about living and dying. It’s a movie about independence and growing up. It’s a movie about the validity of religion and choosing your faith. It’s also a movie about a teenaged Indian boy stranded on a lifeboat in the Pacific Ocean with a Bengal tiger for company. 

Amongst all these themes and underlying messages, it’d be easy for Pi to get bogged down in its own morals. It doesn’t. The story is told from the perspective of a grownup Pi as he recounts his sprawling adventure to an aspiring novelist. That might sound like it deflates some tension (for obvious reasons), but it also allows Pi to narrate the proceedings in a natural manner, and his voiceover provides clarification on a few details that would have otherwise been difficult to infer, not to mention some charm and laughs. Not all will be won over by the rather cliched format, but it at least manages not to feel shoehorned in.

Of course, the main draw of Pi is its central story of survival. Pi’s ocean-bound tale is fairly typical for a film of its caliber, with a notable twist: Pi has to account for a second passenger on his lifeboat -- that is, an adult male tiger. The bond the unlikely duo forges is impressive in its execution. In fact, I don’t know what the last film was that managed to form such a convincing relationship between a person and an animal. This friendship doesn’t come easy, which helps the bond Pi forges with the beast in never feeling contrived or cheesy. Our protagonist undergoes numerous trials and challenges, both physical and psychological, before he finally finds peace with the tiger, ensuring that their ensuing relationship is organic -- at least as organic as the relationship between a human actor and a computer-generated quadrupedal carnivore can feel, and Shuraj Sharma’s breakthrough performance in the lead role certainly helps, too. 

As far as its narrative goes, Pi doesn’t come without a few stumbling points. The most obvious of these is the simple, inescapable fact that this is an adaptation of a novel that wasn’t written with a film adaptation in mind. At a few points, the pacing simply feels off, whether that means a slow stretch where nothing important happens for a while and the visual effects team flexes its muscles just to keep the audience entertained (more on that later) or a jarring shift in the story’s direction. Needless to say, more than one instance of both of these problems pop up. Neither is detrimental to the overall experience, but both are annoyances all the same.

On a similarly negative note, the film’s final revelatory link is delivered in a painfully heavy-handed way. We must remember that this is a PG-rated film, and as such Pi must attend to a wide-reaching audience. Still, it’s disappointing that such a nuanced, thought-provoking thematic statement as the one the film makes is bogged down by such a blunt delivery.

However, these plot-related issues aren’t as prevalent as they would be in most films, because one of the most marvelous aspects of Life of Pi is its visuals. This is a breathtakingly gorgeous film. Everything from the ripples in the water to the terrifying grandeur of its pivotal storm-at-sea sequences to the simple wonder that comes from seeing thousands upon thousands of luminescent jellyfish gliding just under the water, Pi never ceases to astound on this front. Ang Lee’s sure-handed, seamless directory style adds to the flowing continuity of Pi’s visuals and utterly immerses the audience in the film’s world. Many moments pop up where it’s all too easy to forget you’re watching a movie, and that’s one of the highest compliments a film can receive. 

The most consistent visual treat that the film offers up is the tiger itself; CGI is still not a perfect substitute for reality, but Pi’s tiger comes closer to achieving realism than anything preceding it. It’s quite apparent how much time and resources went in to crafting and animating the magnificent creature, not to mention the numerous other animals that are featured throughout the film, all of which are equally stunning.

Disregarding a few hiccups, Life of Pi is a movie that’s simply not to be missed, mostly because it’s doubtful that another opportunity for a similar cinematic experience will present itself in the foreseeable future. If nothing else, marvel at the film’s fantastic visual effects, but don’t let its thrilling tale and emotional resonance pass you by either. So what if it’s Oscar bait? It’s worthy Oscar bait.

Final Score:

8.0/10

“Great”