The Beautiful Beast

Rating: 10/10 (26 November 2012)

Too bad more movies aren't like this. From the very beginning, Life of Pi thrusts its viewers into a world of wonder, and onward to the realm of the fantastic. Ang Lee delivers a heartfelt and miraculous adaptation of the book by Yann Martel.
The story is of a young boy named Pi, who lives with his family in India. His father is a zookeeper, and Pi is close to the animals. Pi lives out his childhood by exploring the marvelous world around him, and as he gets older he tries to become more connected to God. He does this by exploring practically every religion at once, much to the disapproval of his father. When Pi is 16 the family decides to make a new life for themselves in Canada, so they get on a ship along with all the animals they intend to sell once they get to the New World. However, on the way the ship crashes and sinks. Pi is the lone survivor and is stuck in the middle of the ocean on a life boat with a rather large Bengal Tiger.
What follows is a fantastic tale of survival on the open sea. Ang Lee directs the film with stunning clarity and beauty. He creates a world that is marvelous to behold, and sequences that are absolutely breathtaking. The shipwreck sequence is particularly astounding to take in. Lee also creates a wonderful dynamic between Pi and the Tiger, as the boy struggles to survive and not be eaten by the beast. Lee's style is magical, and the world he shows us is full of mystery, beauty, and danger.
The Tiger is computer animated, and maybe mixed in with some real tiger or puppetry. At any rate, the face is all computer, but that is barely noticeable. The Tiger gives a great amount of emotion and depth to the movie. The Tiger may be artificial, but he is so real within the story that it doesn't matter. Whether this relates to the entirety of the movie, you'll have to see for yourself.
The acting is, needless to say, as amazing as the rest of the movie. Suraj Sharma plays Pi for the majority of the film as a 16 year old. Sharma gives a brutal and honest performance as the young man fighting for his life. Pi's family is wonderfully portrayed, especially by Adil Hussain, who plays the boys harsh but loving father.
The music by Michael Danna is quintessential to the movie. Danna brings to life the adventure and fantastical elements of the movie. The score really highlights the beauty of the movie; and along with cinematography by Claudio Miranda, it helps to create an overwhelmingly marvelous movie.
Life of Pi is an exceptional movie. Ang Lee and company bring the art of filmmaking to its highest potential, and create a true masterpiece of art. The movie explores themes of survival, God, and humanity all at once to make the singe best movie of the year so far.
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