Life Of Pi

Hello dear bored fellow who is probably reading the link i sent him.. i got some feedback about my last movie that most people hadn't seen it so they couldn't really comment on how it was... so this time i got you guys a movie that is actually in (some) theaters and which some of you may have seen.. Life of Pi.  So I saw this movie a couple of weeks back with by wingmates (the Elixirs.. wing I hostel 2) and it was basically due to my persistent persuasion that they went ahead. You see the concept of a tiger and a man on a boat for a really really long time doesn't really mean that the movie's going to be nail-biting. Most of my wingies were like "Boring...".. i doubt they even listened to half of what i was saying, ("Guys.. it's ang lee... Brokeback mountain? crouching tiger hidden dragon? Memoirs of a geisha?... well the 3d is said to be awesome" ). Yeah,  i think it would be accurate to say that they went just so that i could shut up. Now obviously, the movie was on my head and subconsciously i too was thinking (" 2 hrs to watch a dude and a tiger at sea?? dude.......... this could be a bad gamble"). Surprisingly though it was not. 

To the Ignorant

So life of pi is a movie by Ang Lee who.. as i have mentioned has brought us some modern day masterpieces   .It is based on the novel Life of Pi by Yann Martel. Firstly, this is not ... in any way... related to the number 3.1416... let's just get that off the table. Pi the movie's lead character is played by... well some indian dude... and the character's real name is "Piscine Molitor". It is shown that his family has a zoo and pi's father decides to close down shop here and move to.. no.. not america.. this is not a cliche... to Canada. The movie is American and has actors of Indian origin so obviously, Irrfan Khan has to be there... sometimes i think that most directors just call him up and ask him.. "Dude.. so.. we're makin' a movie and it requires some indian dudes......... no not just you.. 3-4... do you think you could ask some guys out over there? yeah.. thanks a lot buddy.. bye." On a serious note though he's great in the movie, probably the best performance in the movie. Another actress whom i haven't seen in a movie since 2007 is Tabbu who has a short role, she plays Pi's mother. Not really relevant to the movie as a character but.. yeah.. she's there.. The other cast i don't really know, so no point in discussing. The movie basically strts when the ship the family was taking to America drowns due to some unknown reason and Pi is saved in a Lifeboat with an injured Zebra, a Hyena, an orangutan and a Bengal Tiger. The other animals ultimately kill each other off but the last ones remaning are Pi and the Tiger.

My Perception

So, the first time that you might see this movie, the thing that jumps out at you are the visual effects… and I’m not talking about stuff like Die Hard action scenes.. there is beauty in the film in almost every scene.. making it a must watch in 3D. I’m almost entirely certain that if Life of Pi wins any Oscars it’s gong to be for visual effects and cinematography. The scene when the ship sinks.. in my opinion is a 1000 times better shot and more engrossing than the scene in Titanic. There are scenes where the fact that the movie is in 3D actually enhances emotion.. precisely what Martin Scorcese said in an interview with the Hindu. Eg. The scene where the ship sinks and Pi is underwater … and he’s just staring at the ship underwater... There was like a ton of symbolism in that shot.. because.. he’s not moving at all.. he can just see his entire family , his entire life prior to this sinking along with that ship and I think that is one of the scenes that many will remember for weeks after seeing this movie. By now you must be thinking that Life of Pi is like a must watch classic. Sorry, but no.. Life of Pi does have its errors. The first thing that bothered me about the movie was the fact that Pi is talking right after the ship sinks.. to animals.. I mean, for a guy who’s just suffered the death of his entire family, I don’t think he would find it cute to like talk to an orangutan or something. Anyway, that was just a plot point that didn’t feel right. Another thing that bugged me was the way the movie ended. Pi and the Tiger went ot carnivorous island, got food supplies etc.. and just magically landed on shore. I would have liked to have seen a bit more struggle. It seemed rushed, that’s all.. but I guess that wasn’t the point of the movie. One of my wingies who had actually read the novel said that in the novel this was fully described and it was more survival based. I don’t know.. the whole feel of the film was spiritual rather than survival based. The best scene which for me, gave meaning to the entire film where pi gives an alternate story (I’m not gonna narrate the whole thing… that will ruin the surprise) to the whole thing that happened and Irrfan Khan (future pi) asks the dude that “I told you 2 stories.. which 1 do think is the better one?”… That blew my mind, I didn’t see that coming at all. The dude, predictably replies “the one with the tiger” but the question is awesome, so I would really like to hear from all who have seen this movie as to which story they actually believed. For me, it would have to be the second story which he told. I believe that after the death if Pi’s parents he was traumatized and rationalized the horrific events that happened afterwards by the story he just told. Anyway that’s just me…

Final Verdict

A few plot points missing, a bit rushed at the end but perhaps the best visual treat since Avatar. Life of Pi is definitely worth your money, I would recommend it to be watched only in 3D or IMAX. Btw. There is this one scene in the film that I found hilarious. I bet a lot of you could connect to this guy so well. I thought that is the exact face I make when my mother asks me to take a bath.