all the strengths, and even some of the weaknesses you'd expect from an innovative film..

Rating: 7/10 (10 April 2013)

"Life of Pi" is one of the better films from 2012.
I had heard it was a landmark film in terms of moving into the "digital-age", and the visuals definitely set this film apart, but I have to admit that the movie had a better storyline and under-lying meaning than I was expecting.
The visuals were only one facet of this fine film, and on occasion, the films only weakness. The digital make-up of this visual wonder allowed the actors, animals, and the vast ocean to share the same space - while never sharing the same space. The films use of generated 'space' is unrivaled. It's a backwards movie in terms of production. The plus-side is no formatting issues. The film blends many computer-generated visuals along with the digitally captured live-action.
It's a landmark in film-making much like Tron, Last Starfighter, Blade Runner, A Scanner Darkly, and Roger Rabbit, in that it uses a new technique that opens up all sorts of doors for the future. BUT, if you look back at the films I just mentioned they all have weaknesses(well maybe not so much Blade Runner). Like a new model car - they might have few recalls down the road.
Ang Lee did a good job here meshing all this together, but he also took some liberties with all this technology - occasionally taking it a bit too far. That's about my only gripe. After all, most of the film is told in flashback style which gives you the ability to embellish without necessarily being untruthful, but there are a couple of moments that might have been better-off if they were toned-down just a bit.
The acting is superb.
Some of the scenes involving the animals are hard to watch, but I think the film actually took great care of that aspect of the film.
I can highly recommend this as something that is much more than a man on a boat.
You MIGHT like this if you liked: Tree of Life(not as good and slower), Slumdog Millionaire(better and stars one of the same actors), Titanic(about equal in every way, but Life of Pi is only 2hrs not 3).
79/100 Should have no problem holding a top-ten spot for 2012. Right now, I'd have it around 7 or 8, having seen about 80 of the 85 films on my 2012 watchlist.