Life of Pi..is spell-binding!!

Rating: 9/10 (25 November 2012)

I often try to use the movie name or something about it as part of my blog title. However, nothing short of 'spell-binding' does justice to this one. Ang Lee brings to life practically the impossible – a supposedly unfilmable book is presented in a manner that is a treat for the senses making Life of Pi a must-watch all the way!!
Life of Pi starts off slow and after a time you begin wondering where's all the water, animals and action you saw in the trailer - but patience bears fruit. Once the adventure begins you are completely swept away and by the time the film reaches its abrupt intermission (since there's really no intermission in a Hollywood movie) you are well entrenched in the adventure and in no mood for a break.
There's a lot of talk about the 3D of Life of Pi being better than Avatar. I'd just say that Life of Pi is presented in 3D in an Avatar of its own, the kind that perfectly suits the story that is told. The 3D isn't as extravagant, but peaks up at exactly the right moments and some scenes are sure to give you the thrills you would seek from a 3D movie. Clearly some lessons for all and sundry on how to use 3D in a movie
However, while its a visual spectacle, Life of Pi is a real winner more because of the kind of depth its storyline offers. On the face of it, its an adventure, a tale of courage, hope and survival all very well but peel the layers and you find profound depth and meaning to everything you've witnessed in an entirely different light. I myself believe that I have only scratched the surface of what Life of Pi has to offer apart from its visual treat and best of all the director doesn't push you to think in any given direction. Its for you to think, explore and ponder or not
The performances are top notch too, Suraj Sharma the protagonist does a decent job and pulls off a difficult role. The treatment to his character and his visual appearance is thoughtful and consistent, making his unbelievable story come to life. Irrfan Khan delivers yet again and though his initial accent is a little unbecoming, his emotional delivery later in the movie takes the cake. So does Adil Hussain impress with his impeccable accent and delivery in the earlier part of the movie. The only one wasted, is Tabu who given her range of performance is given a rather simple and short role
The real star of the show is however, Ang Lee – first for believing that such a movie was possible and secondly for presenting it so wondrously - with scenes shot under and over water, at close quarters with a royal Bengal tiger and a host of other superb sequences.
After one has almost given up here comes a real winner. One should never lose hope..so is the case with God, and Hollywood too I guess ;)
To read my reviews on other movies check out my blog at http://www.anitalks.blogspot.com