I haven't been astounded since grade school, until now

Rating: 9/10 (2 December 2012)

I bought the book when it was first being touted as a literary gem but then decided not to read it, so I have nothing to gauge how well Ang Lee did in interpreting the book. That said, this is one of the most endearing movies I've ever seen.
My first thought having just seen it was, thank God some studio didn't get a hold of it first to do an American take on the book. This movie so deserves and demands its setting and foreign lead actors. I admit I probably would have enjoyed one of our better young leads in the role of Pi, but I'm much better off having grappled with the Indian chosen by Lee who, for some reason, populates this movie with everything from Mexicans, Indians, Japanese and Anglos to tigers, hyenas, orangutans and zebras, but not one Chinese person. I thought that a little odd but perhaps the books that way too.
I saw the 2D version mainly because I was expecting some exploration of the god issue, but I was mostly disappointed in that. The talk of religion is very brief and not very interesting. What was interesting is the survival story and the boy's relationships with wild animals.
I had no idea whether for the most part I was watching a real tiger or not. Let's just say that if Lee had to wait for the tiger to do everything he does in this movie, he by rights should still be out there filming. Someone with a real love for animals and an eye for their behavior clearly had a hand in making these scenes look real. And then there are the shots at sea. The sea rises in great swells and you would think Pi is actually in a lifeboat in the middle of the Pacific being carelessly tossed around by a violent storm; it's truly masterful, unprecedented filmmaking.
Even my wife who is no friend to animals thought the movie went by quickly and was happy to have seen it.