Initial rating: It's a very deep and spiritual movie with lots of heart and soul. Read more after the cut.
Okay, so where do I start? Ang Lee's adaptation of Yann Martel's novel "Life of Pi" is such a great move and it really does justice to the source material.
Visuals
The movie is definitely eye candy. The trailer did not lie. It did not however prepare people for the sheer beauty of the visual effects used in the film. Everything in the film is all about aesthetics. The exotic locales and shores in India where Pi grew up to the transitional effects used to the sheer scale of the storms that batter our boy and his tiger. And then there's the matter of the tiger itself, Richard Parker. Never have I seen such a beautiful CGI creature rendered to look so life like. The tiger's very first appearance alone is something that is completely disarming and so frightening.
So far, for me, the best moment in the film was that scene with the whale. I won't spoil what happens after the scene we see in the trailer, but I'm definitely telling you that that whale is a scumbag.
I've touched on the locales awhile ago but I wanted to take more time and praise the locations used. Pondicherry, India was so far the best place I've seen. If there's something that Life of Pi made me realize, it was that there are still some places in India that's really beautiful without trying to look beautiful.
The use of the animals in this flick was also impressive. You'll feel sad for the injured zebra that managed to jump onto Pi's boat the night of the sinking as well as the poor orangutan who reached the boat by floating on a huge pile of bananas. Everything is lifelike. Once again Ang Lee proves that it's really possible to blur the lines between filmmaking techniques and cinematic effects and real life. There's also the Meercats which were pretty cute.
Characters and Casts
I had reservations about "Life of Pi" in the sense that I'll be dealing with Indian casts. Since there was no dialogue in the trailer that's been screened, I assumed that it's going to be challenging to listen to the dialogue. Seeing it in advance, I learned that I was both right and wrong. The cast was great and although "Pi" suffered from a few minor hiccups along the dialogue way, its was completely pardonable. At the heart of "Life of Pi" lies the two actors that were cast to bring the literary character to life. Newcomer Suraj Sharma and veteran Indian actor Irrfan Khan played the role to perfection. There's a glint of innocence in Sharma's eyes when we see him at the start of his adventure. He later goes through the phases of sadness, hopelessness and contentment. I was actually doing a slow clap when he finally reaches the shores of Mexico.
Irrfan Khan is another thing. This guy has proven himself time and time again to be a great actor. At a drop of a hat, Khan can exude whatever emotion is needed for the scene. This was the same thing that I saw when I caught his other film "The Namesake' a few years back with Kal Penn. The best thing about Khan's take as the adult Pi Patel is that he can convince you that he's really found God. You can see it in his eyes and you can hear it in his voice. Plus in his scenes with Rafe Spall, he can go from being a funny and clever guy, to a wise man to a man that's composed even if he's retelling a tragic backstory. Bravo for the guy.
Some other things that you need to know about the older Pi:
- This is the second film in 2012 (yeah "Life of Pi" has been released in 2012, blame the MMFF) where he has to deal with a character named "Richard Parker". The first was in "Amazing Spider-Man" starring Andrew Garfield.
- This is Khan's second film with Indian actress Tabu. The two first worked together in "The Namesake" where they were cast as husband and wife. In "Pi" however, they're roles are mother and son.
- Speaking of Andrew Garfield, the new Spider-Man was once attached to this ambitious adaptation as the reported. Tobey Maguire however nabbed the role and already did a few scenes before the studio decided to cast Rafe Spall as the writer. I guess we just have to wait for the DVD to see those scenes.
Plot and Story
For me the biggest appeal for "Life of Pi" is it's story. It's so rich with spiritual narrative and chockful of humor all bundled in a story about life, death and survival. I love the whole "story within a story" setup that is brought forth courtesy of the Canadian writer. The main story weaves with all the subplots to eloborately introduce us to Piscine Molitor Patel which makes it a lot interesting as opposed to say, a straightforward, linear story.
It's got anecdotal bits as well which really keeps the development of the titular character at a steady pace. Even in the more quiet moments of the film, there's still that constant mashing of character dev there. Subtly kneading Piscine into the person that he is when tragedy struck.
Nothing went to waste in this film in the sense that everything has a reason for being there. Even the 'carnivorous island' shaped like the god Vishnu serves as the main catalyst for Pi's growth and maturity.
The funny thing about "Pi" is that it tackles religion in a way that most people would be happy. To the young (and even old Pi) religion speaks different languages, travels different paths but ends with the same thing - God. Lookout for the scenes where Pi starts experimenting with different religions hoping that he would get his answers or some form of enlightenment.
It's almost biblical in nature the way the pacing went for "Pi". I recall a bible verse that Pam and I enjoy about how God provided for the prophet Elijah while he was in the middle of the desert. How he recovered his strength and how the angels took care of the prophet in a hidden oasis far from the murderous intent of Queen Jezebel. It's the same thing with the film (and the book). The fantastic island serves as a refuge and a home for Pi just enough for him to recover his strenght after his encounter with God. But at the same time poses as a threat for the young castaway and his tiger.
I know I'm starting to be preachy, so I'll end with this note. The film delivers audiences on a cathartic journey with the small hope that they we see the beauty in life no matter how bleak or miserable we are in our current condition.
Major special thanks to 20th Century Fox!
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