Long, sentimental, and laundered for the western palate.

Rating: 6/10 (4 March 2013)

We'll start with the good: Ang's underwater scene of the boy watching the ship sink is better than the whole movie Titanic. I always thought that for all the money spent, James Cameron could have shown the massive ship below the waterline, with lights still on, just to give the sense of the horrible silent peacefulness of the underwater world. But that question answers itself.
It's best to read the book first, because you will get a lot of information that Ang omits. There are things the book omits, too, but Ang even more so. It is a western-told version of India without the ickiness of poverty caused by the Hindu caste system. It also steps around the atrocities of Islam, but (surprise!) portrays Christianity fairly close to the way the Modern West sees it, as a confusing, zealous faith not offering anything nearly as "beautiful" as Islam and anything else in the "beautiful" world.
In addition, early in the book zookeeping is parsed from a non-Western point of view, and it makes sense. Much evidence is given that zoo animals are quite happy, especially at Pi's zoo, and it sets the stage for him spending months at sea stuck with a tiger. Too bad groups who make no sense and offer only anecdotal evidence keep this point of view from Ang's film.
Some of what was kept puzzles me. An island, covered in meerkats, that bleeds acid and eats humans, saving only their teeth? I only partly blame Ang for this indulgence of thirty minutes of film. Was it a dream the author entertained? I can't find any example of this online.
Some scenes were overly sentimental, overwrought, and the big surprise at the end didn't require the ridiculous "writer" character bawling his liberal face off over the beauty of the Big Truth he had the privilege to see. I know audiences need all the help they can get, and many even walked out not getting it still. It reminds me of these high definition youtube videos where hipsters are interviewed about whittling or kale growing, as if they were the first to discover it.
The swimming Uncle Mamaji was the most interesting, authentic character. He was hilarious and so proud in his Speedo. Frankly, I wished the whole movie was about him and his adventures hitting all the famous pools in Paris. They need to make that movie.