CGI at its best

Rating: 8/10 (15 January 2013)

The movie has a saying that if you hear the story of Pi you will believe in God, well I did listen and watch his story and I have to say the story is both mystical and as it was made out to be spiritual. The movie is intense, and it starts with a light comic introduction of the lead characters, as I haven't read the book, I was wondering if the movie was going to fall in the genre of an outrageous comedy, then it drifts ever so gently to dramatic scene where the protagonist Pi meets the Tiger Richard Parker. From then on the movie holds your gaze and it is just an exceptionally good drama.
The power of the CGI used is so high up there I believe that Avatar (James Cameron) has been bitten when it comes to the use of 3D imagery to make all things look real, from the production set which was done in Taiwan where the crew built a tank that could hold 1.7 million gallons to shoot all the ocean scenes to the interaction between the animals and Pi, you will be taken off your sits.
Ang Lee, was the man in the directors sit for this movie; Lee's famous movies Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon (2000) and his Academy award win for best director movie Brokeback Mountain (2005) gave him the edge and knowhow he needed to make this another Academy Award movie, with Life of Pi getting eleven Academy Award nominations including Best Picture and Best Director.
Based on a fantasy adventure novel by Yann Martel which was published in 2001, the movie and book plot was about Piscine Molitor "Pi" Patel, an Indian boy who got involved in spirituality and scientific reasoning from an early age. His father decided to move the family to Canada, and sell off his Zoo animals, but on their way on a Japanese freighter tragedy struck and Pi is shipwrecked and stranded on a life boat in the Pacific Ocean alone with a Bengal tiger named Richard Parker.
The movie/book is about how Pi survived 227 days stranded on a boat, and how he managed to take care of himself and the Tiger onboard.
Life of Pi is as I have said before, a great movie that all should get the chance to see and enjoy. I see this movie winning Best Visual Effects at the Oscars, and probably more. So, when next you are at the cinemas thinking what to watch and this movie is still running, watch this, or better still wait and get the DVD.
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