LIFE OF PI (2012)
Tagline: Don't lose hope.
(Adventure, Drama, Faith) [PG]
And then Richard Parker, my fierce companion, the terrible one who kept me alive, disappeared forever from my life.
Ultimately this movie
winds up asking the viewer a question. There are many theories on the meaning
behind it but everyone can agree in the end we are given a question. How you
answer that question basically forces you into either thinking humans are
generally doomed to depravity or you have some sort of faith. I won’t go into
the details of this, but ultimately the question may actually determine how
much you enjoy this film. To me, the first 45 minutes or so were almost a
complete waste of time. I hate to say this about a film so highly touted and
critically acclaimed, but it wasn’t even the equivalent of interesting involved
in working the night shift and having a conversation with my friend Josh who is
of Pakistani descent.
The Great - The story
actually gets going and we finally get Pi’s family on a boat leaving India with
a boat full of animals (Pi’s father owned a zoo). Pi ends up on a boat with a
Bengal tiger named Richard Parker stranded at sea. Ang Lee does a superb job of
really capturing some brilliant visuals and the effects team went way over the
top to bring us something so far above par that it makes this film a must-see. Pi
faces an almost job-like series of trials and actor Suraj Sharma brings the
character to life in such a way that you can’t stop rooting for him and you
start to want Richard Parker to make it.
The Hmmm? – Remember when
I said this movie was a question. It’s not a bad question. It’s an unsettling
one. At the heart of human nature is the realization that the universe and
everything around us is much bigger than all of us. This movie has nothing to
do with religion or for that matter “religions”. It strikes at the core of faith
and character. How do we really act under pressure, how do we really view the
world, how do we really view God when the chips are down? What are the losses
we suffer and do we have hope no matter what? Beyond the effects and the
superb acting, this movie will probably be a bit too deep for some, but it’s a
thought-provoking ride.
I give Pi a 5 out of 7.
Despite its many triumphs, it is not a film I will run to often for the reasons
I go to see movies. Also could have been a 6 at least had I not almost fell
asleep during the first half.
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