'Life of Pi' - A visually stunning achievement of spiritual magnitude!
I finally think Ang Lee can be forgiven 'Hulk' as with 'Life of Pi' he has produced a stunning masterpiece that is not only a treat for the eyes, but one for the soul! Proving that an artistic film can in fact be a blockbuster, Ang Lee has set the tone for how 3D films should be made! Staging each shot to take advantage of the 3D, Lee has produced so vivid a film that the 3D itself becomes integral to the telling of the story. Not since James Cameron's 'Avatar' has the 3D technology so adeptly been used.
Based on the novel by Yann Martel (previously thought unfilmable), 'Life of Pi' recounts the tale of Pi Patel (as told by three different actors through the various stages of Pi's life) in a series of flashbacks as the elder Pi (Irrfan Khan) tells his story to a young biographer (Rafe Spall).
As the story of Pi begins, he is a young boy (Ayush Tandon) filled with an overwhelming spiritual curiosity. Pi's wide eyed curiosity leads him down the path of Hinduism, Islam and finally Catholicism. This is all much to the chagrin of his hotel and zoo keeper father, who prefers logic and science over religion. Lee seems to have a lot of fun with this dilemma early in the film setting up shots that are as magical as Pi's curiosity. As Pi grows, his family is forced to sell the zoo and move it from their home in India to Canada; but while in route, the ship they are all on is struck by a storm leaving Pi stranded in a lifeboat, with limited supplies and a Bengal tiger. The filming of the tempest is nothing short of amazing, with the sinking of the ship surpassing that of Cameron's 'Titanic' and is almost poetic in nature.
From the storm on, the film goes from playful to simply stunning with Lee getting more and more mileage from the boy and tiger stranded in the middle of the Pacific Ocean on a life raft. From a star filled sky, to the endless glass surface of a still ocean, Lee takes full, stunning advantage of 3D and the clarity it can offer. In nearly all of the shots, the 3D not only lends depth to the image, but depth to the story as well. whether conveying the utter vastness of the ocean or the utter destruction of a storm; the 3D truly brings the story to life.
But with the imagery aside, the story itself will leave you breathless. From the very start, we know that Pi survives, but it is this knowledge that allows us to focus on the journey and less on the outcome of the journey. We begin to understand and feel for Pi as he struggles to not only survive, but coexist with the tiger until they both come to an understanding that they can make it. Suraj Sharma's performance as the teenage Pi is simply wonderful to behold; not since Tom Hanks in 'Castaway' has an actor done so much with so little. The physical transformation alone is incredible, add to that the CGI tiger (which is nearly impossible to detect) that he must work with and I would be hard pressed not to recommend him for Best Actor status!
This is a wonderful film that speaks to the very heart of man. At the very beginning, the biographer tells the elder Pi that he was informed that Pi will make him believe in the existence of God. By the end of the 4 star 'Life of Pi' - I would challenge you to NOT believe in the existence of God. Don't get me wrong, this is not a religious film, rather it is a deeply spiritual film that will touch you to the core. This is a MUST for 3D and surely a Best Picture/Best Director shoe in.