truly wonderful

Rating: 9/10 (1 February 2013)

I'd be tempted to give life of Pi this score out of 3 (3.1415926 5358979323846264338327950288419716939937510582097494459230781640 6286208998628034825342117067982148086513282306647093844609550582 23172535940812848111745028410270193852110555964462294895493038196 44288109756659334461284756482337867831652712019091456485669234603 48610454326648213393607260249141273724587006606315588174881520920 628292540917153643678925903600113305305488204665213841469519415116 09) but it so annoys me when people talk about giving 110% that I just can't do it.
So, instead, I'll just have to settle for an old fashioned 9/10. Now, let's get this straight. Life of Pi has just shown that there
is life left in 3D. It may be, on the whole, a gimmick but the exception can still prove the point. Only two movies have made the 3D entrance fee worth the extra IMHO, Avatar and this.
It's a tough movie for bibliophiles to even want to see because the
book is so magnificent (in my all time top ten probably) and many I've spoken to who love it equally are just downright scared that Ang Lee was going to blow it. The odds were strongly in favour of
that happening because it's a pretty full on philosophical workout.
So full credit has to go to Fox pictures for shelling out $120 million on the ultimate movie gamble.
How Ang manages to retain the existential angst of the book AND make a blockbuster movie that holds the attention from start to finish (yes, including the pretty turgid first 100 pages) is not only anyone's guess but a cinematic achievement of considerable merit.
It's the storytelling that wins the day but it's wrapped up in cinematography of the very highest order. So many times one gasps out loud at what's on screen that it's like a day out in a theme park. Surely the Oscar for this is certain to go to Claudio Miranda (Fight Club, Se7en, Zodiac, Benjamin Button).
The acting is universally good but it's the tiger, Richard Parker, and his four legged companions that really steal the show. CGI has never, ever been this good. This might sound like it's the technology that carries the movie but don't think that. It's an honest, stunning exploration of the true meaning of life, religion and truth and it's an absolute must see.
I would not discount it winning best movie come early March and I certainly wouldn't grudge it.
Ang Lee's finest hour.