Review of Life of Pi (2012) by Quincytheodore — 17 Dec 2012

In a rare matrimony of visual triumph and mythical storytelling, Life of Pi is a fantastic allegory of faith and struggle for life. Stories of beasts and men have intrigued people for years, admittedly the possibility of a man surviving a shipwreck with a Bengali Tiger is romantically over the top. While it's not exactly the colorful journey underneath, Life of Pi never becomes dark or brooding despite its heavy content. It's brilliantly told with simplicity, comedy and accessibility.

It starts lightheartedly as adult Piscine Molitor Patel (Irfan Khan) retells his journey to a novelist. The adult Piscine is a great narrator, telling the story in his own pace and nonjudgmental feel. The topic of religion is a sensitive one, it's an accomplishment that the story not only presentable to large audience, it's also comedically inviting without undermining its values. A journey to find faith is universal, albeit the paths might differ, the series of tribulations Piscine has to endure is metaphor for the bumps in the road. At some points, doubt sets in and he admits his unknowingness, which is highly relatable.

Graphically, in case you haven't seen the trailer, Life of Pi is astonishing. Using technological progress not only as gimmick, but also as an actual appeal. Colors are plenty and they are not invasive, it seems the scenes change so naturally, it's like seeing sunset and sunrise fast-forwarded. Details of the animals, especially the tiger, are very attentive. The shots are edited well, sometimes even continuously done. Ang Lee managed to give a sense of desperation from the smallness of man in contrast to the near endless realm around him.

Credit goes to the young Piscine (Suraj Sharma) as he's the one who actually got cast away in the middle of the sea. Since the bulk of the movie is him alone, he has a heavy task to make it entertaining and believable. He does deliver a great performance against the artificial beast and screen effect. One of the things which might be unpalatable for some is the use of faith and religions. I personally think it uses faith as a medium of storytelling, a mature and modern interpretation of faith without imposing one specifically. The movie doesn't force audience its beliefs, it merely retells them like a poet from bedtime story, eloquently and elegantly. It makes the audience thinks, but leaves the decision in a private manner. Life of Pi is a rare beautiful use of 3D and an incredibly told story, which would be a shame to miss.