Life of Pi

[baumer]

Discuss

[Travod]

OH GOD FINALLY.Basically totally amazing, heartbreaking, uplifting, beautiful, funny, emotional, etc.And then the last ten minutes when he discusses the "alternate ending" kind of rips you out of the moment and you leave extremely disappointed until you start pretending the last ten minutes never happened.

[Gopher]

Having read the book, the ending is the conceit of the story. It's what reveals how Pi confronted his traumatic and life changing experience- by depicting his emotions in a genuine way without getting caught up in the horrific events that actually transpired. And hey, never let the truth get in the way of a good story. Looking forward to the movie.

[victoriastone14]

Waiting to see the movie....!!!

[JackO]

(Begin snark review) Life of Pi is the story of the most religious kid of all time finding god after a shipwreck(end snark review)Life of Pi is the story of Pi, a young boy who finds interest in 3 different religions growing up, Hindu, Christianity, and Islam. Despite being teased by kids for his name (he is named after swimming pool), he finds his faith in all things. Eventually he grows up and his family is forced to leave their zoo and move to Canada. They take a Japanese cargo ship off to their new life, or so they think..The first thing I hated about this movie was that it was so arrogant that it thought that it could convert all non believers just from a single story. Of course, predictably, the skeptical author sees the light, but when a film flat out tells you on multiple occasions that this single story will convert you it not only puts lofty expectations on the story but it also makes the disappointment that much larger when it doesn't pay off.Luckily, once the shipwreck occurs there is a lot less talking and the visuals take over. The cinematography is impeccable. From the tiger, that I think was completely CGI. To the flying fish and the constant storms. This is where the film really took off. There was gallows humor with Pi and the Tiger peeing on each other. Pi making notes about how to survive on a liferaft with a tiger. There was a certain sad humor about it.But not even that was full of chocolate and lemon drops, as the story made a really awkward twist when he lands on a lady shaped island. Apparently, the island was was carnivorous? And he found a tooth in a lotus flower? This is supposed to somehow make sense but instead it felt like a convenient plot device to keep our brave hero alive to be able to tell the story he is telling now.Oh but that was not the only twist. Apparently, the entire story with all the visual flourishes and pretty cinematography was a lie. The real story was pretty harrowing as it involved what one would call throwaway characters introduced during the boat ride. But the film wants you to make a choice. Did you like the film that was pretty much the whole movie with all the pretty colors, or did you like the story of the young kid in a hospital bed crying. Of course, the movie wants you to pick the one with the pretty colors but I felt differently. I actually liked the ugly dirty real human nature the kid had to deal with. But of course, the film took it's direction regardless of the false choice it presented.All in all, I feel that this film is quite a 3D marvel. It may arrive there cheaply but this film is worth seeing for the 3D alone. Even if you are non-believer like me.Addedum: Out of all the prestige films, this is the one that stuck in my head the most. I don't even know why. I guess the questions presented were more profound then I thought in the theater right after. I give it a B+

[Moviedweeb]

Seeing this in 45 min, can't wait!

[AniNate]

Of course, the movie wants you to pick the one with the pretty colors but I felt differently. I actually liked the ugly dirty real human nature the kid had to deal with. But of course, the film took it's direction regardless of the false choice it presented.

Whatever you think of the story with the pretty colors, you can surely understand why one would make up something like that after experiencing such trauma and why to most people it would be preferable to listen to and read as opposed to the other story. It's human nature to romanticize experiences, and it's implied that imagining this story was what drove Pi to survive. As a nonbeliever myself, I don't think it's necessarily telling you to believe in God but to just never lose hope, as that survival guide said.

Anyway, I'm amazed this got away with a PG rating given the violence and the ending. It's certainly not aimed at children and maybe not even young teens. I also think that Lee went a little crazy with the nonsensical visuals thinking he could get away with it just because the story wasn't real, but I did get pretty involved with Pi and Richard Parker's relationship and the setpieces were spectacular. I also really liked the opening scenes in India and kind of wish we got to spend a little more time there, but this is one of the most unforgettable films of the year that leaves you with a lot to ponder, and I'm sure this will be a big player at the Oscars.

A-

Edited December 2, 2012 by tribefan695

[yuvaltheval]

Are you kidding me? the twist is not only amazing, it's a crucial point in the story, it makes sense, and the entire message of the book (haven't watched the movie yet) derives from it.

[A Marvel Fanboy]

Saw this in IMAX 3D.A

Edited November 26, 2012 by firedeep

[JackO]

Are you kidding me? the twist is not only amazing, it's a crucial point in the story, it makes sense, and the entire message of the book (haven't watched the movie yet) derives from it.

It is not amazingly executed here.

[Gopher]

The past-present narrative is clunky and the first 20 minutes are really just tablesetting... but then it gets going and never lets up. Unbelievable visuals and powerful themes. I teared up at multiple points. How many other movies stay compelling and gripping for an hour and a half? And if you ask me the 'second story' was expertly handled. I loved it in the book and I loved it here. It gives a whole new perspective on incredible stories like the boy and the tiger and why we tell them. One of the best of the year. 2012 continues its winning streak.

[Hiccup]

I walked out of the theater and couldn't believe the movie was over 2 hours long. It literally felt like just 1 hour. Intense, visually stunning, and extremely emotional, Life of Pi is another triumphant success for Ang Lee. Get your ass to that theater and see this NOW!9.7/10

[A Marvel Fanboy]

This now has been overinterpreted in Chinese forums. Many believe there are a third story, the untold one. General interpretations has been mainly related to religions and science, perceptual and rational, Id and Self-, concrete and abstract, humanity and animality, etc.

[victoriastone14]

I have watched the movie. I will give it A.

[Bluebomb]

Amazing movie. Visuals are striking. Story, acting, music are all fantastic. I got sucked in and floated off into Pi's life for 2 hours which is all I can ask for from a great movie. 10/10 (A+)

[acsc1312]

Beautiful film. I wish Khan could pull off a supporting actor nod. He was amazing at the end. Beautiful music and cinematography. Yes, I cried.A-

[jb007]

Good movie. Great visuals, but the last 10-15 minutes are not up to the mark.

B+

[Ezen Baklattan]

This movie felt like an out-of-body experience.

The journey that Pi must face with a Bengal tiger at sea was regarded as a seemingly impossible story to bring to the big screen, but Ang Lee makes it look easy.

Through the relationship between Richard Parker and Pi Patel that evolves from hostility to mutual reliance, we're given a true emotional attachment to these characters, and it's a story that manages to stay fully compelling for the entire two hours. As someone who isn't very religious, I appreciated how Ang Lee (and Yann Martel, for that matter) chose to not hit the audience over the head with the marvel of God, but rather that of hope and courage. These themes were masterfully depicted.

As for the visual effects, I'm not going to deny that the film is absolutely stunning. However, it felt like there were scenes that were visually marvelous just for the sake of it. Also, some of the CGI used in the animals was a little distracting, but this is reasonable because having a real tiger may be quite dangerous. These are just minor quibbles on my part for an otherwise unique and stunning film.

It's not perfect, and it's not the best movie of the year, but Life Of Pi is an amazing film. It's truly something that ought to be experienced on a big screen.

A-

[The Toymaker]

Life of Pi

Fantastic film. This is the type of film my gran would adore, and I hope she's going to see it - she may already have! The scenes with the tiger are great, and the scenes with the monkey are funny, all the animal scenes are just really intriguing. But it's the sentimental scenes that gripped me. If I took down my defences a little bit more I would have cried just as older Pi cried when he was telling the 2nd story at the end. I didn't think there was any need to say "so the zebra was the sailer ... and you were the tiger" because I already made that connection without having the white guy say it - but I suppose that was for less knowledgeable people in the audience.

Beautiful movie. Deserves Best Picture, Best Cinematography, and Best Actor for younger Pi, he was sensational. Ang Lee deserves Best Director too. The 3D wasn't needed apart from a few scenes, which it was amazing. Possibly my best film of the year. It's such a pure magical adventure, and I've been dying to see a film like this in years. It just took me out of my situation and life circumstances and transported me into Pi's world - I needed that.

I wouldn't say I enjoyed more than The Expendables 2 as such, but now I totally understand what people mean when they object to comparing films of different styles and genre. It's just too hard to do. I expected more from TE2, but it still gave me an incredibly fun ride, whereas with Life of Pi, I expected a great movie but it totally blew me away, and it came along at the right time as recently I have been down.

A - It's the best film of 2012.

[Olive]

9/10my top 3 of this year.