One of the Most Beautiful Films You're Going to See

Rating: 9/10 (26 November 2012)

Life of Pi (2012)
**** (out of 4)
Ang Lee's incredible tale of Pi Patel (Suraj Sharma), a teenage Indian boy who survives a ship sinking that kills everyone on board except for himself and a tiger. Soon the two are on board a lifeboat not knowing what their future holds. I had never heard of the novel that this film is based on and I had absolutely no idea what the film was about until about five months prior I saw a promotional piece while waiting to watch another movie. I actually went back to work joking about the picture because I couldn't believe anyone would try and make a movie about a boy, a tiger and a lifeboat but the joke is on me because Lee has created one of the more memorable, magical and uplifting films of the year. I was really shocked to see how tremendous the picture was but what makes it so special would have me giving away countless spoilers, which is something I'm certainly not going to do. I think it would be best for viewers to go into the picture knowing as little as possible but I can say that Lee has created one of the most beautiful pictures you're likely to see. The beautiful images are just so remarkable to look at that it's impossible not to get caught up in the scenery. Be it the early stuff in India or the breathtaking moments at sea, everything in this picture just lights up the screen. I'm really not a fan of CGI unless it's used properly. Too many times I think it's just used to be lazy and save money but that's not the case here as Lee perfectly mixes in the CGI with the live action stuff. The two coming together are practically flawless and that certainly helps bring one closer to the story and characters. Sharma does a terrific job and especially when you consider he'd never acted before and was basically having to carry the entire film. I was a little mixed on the 3D effects. While some where brilliant, for the most part I think the film would be viewed just fine in 2D as it would give one better colors. Still, no matter which version you see, the heart of the picture is in its soul, its character and the lessons he learns while being stuck out at sea for over two hundred days. LIFE OF PI is a really remarkable film that has so much going for it that it's clearly one of the year's best.