Review - Life of Pi (2012)

Starring Suraj Sharma, Irfan Khan and Rafe Spall.
Directed by Ang Lee.

Adapted from Yann Martel's fantasy novel of the same name, Life of Pi boasts the best 3D effects I have ever seen in a movie. The book was deemed "un-filmable" but Ang Lee proved critics wrong and made a marvel of an adaptaion.

The story is basically told in flashback sequence and storytelling where a grown Pi (Irfan Khan) gives an account of his life to a man (Rafe Spall), a writer interested in writing a book about him. Pi reminisces about his childhood where he was often teased about his real name in school. As a child he became very enthused by the different religions and wanted to be closer to "God", although he was initially raised as Hindu. As the movie goes along, we see Pi develop a love interest but faces the disappointment of having to move from India to Canada. But this is where the fun starts, this is where we see why this movie has been receiving all the critical praise and hype.

While on their way to their new life, an unsuspecting violent storm sinks the ship in which they were travelling in and Pi's family is killed. He is left stranded on the lifeboat in the middle of the ocean with a few zoo animals, whom his father had intended to sell. In this part of the film, we see strategic survival tactics being demonstrated by Pi and we also witness this film evolve into a beautiful visual piece of art.The visuals and imagery of this film were breathtaking and even the zoo animals seemed so surreal and involving.

The movie started out a bit slow but it definitely picked up with Suraj Sharma's resilient performance and his unexpected bond with the tiger on the lifeboat. As Pi struggles for survival, he also finds a redeemed faith in God which further adds to the religious aspect of this film. This will more or so please religious audiences.

The strength of Life of Pi lies in its visuals but I totally adored the storytelling and Suraj Sharma's warm performance. An inspiring and interesting story of courage, survival and faith. Life of Pi isn't just a tale or an adventure, it is an experience for the ages. One of the few movies that must be seen in 3D for you to really appreciate Ang Lee's brilliant film-making.

Rating: 9/10



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