a fantastical look at reality...?

Rating: 8/10 (23 December 2012)

This is my first ever review.
I didn't go into the cinema expecting a great deal from this film as it was actually the girlfriend who wanted to see it. The trailers looked all nice and that but it didn't give a whole lot of details as to what I was going to be watching. But I actually enjoyed it a great deal! It didn't start too exciting, just a writer looking for a new story having been told that this older Pi had one to tell. So it starts as reminiscing of his childhood, learning of different religions and generally experiencing life etc... at this point I was thinking she'd pulled a fast one telling me I'd love the film, it looks great...
But it did get better. I won't go into too much detail as I can't stand people who, accidentally or not, summarise a film to somebody who hasn't seen it. I feel, personally, this film is about imagery, though some might say it's about metaphor. Maybe in the book you're supposed to read in-between the lines, (which I haven't read, BTW) but I feel the film is simpler than that, and just wants to show you the fantasy in reality. The entire film is a work of beauty. Even the simplest of things is captured in a way to stun the audience. Be it a night sea lit up by thousands of jellyfish, or a simple, yet frightening storm throwing pi and Richard Parker - the Bengal tiger - from bow to stern was cinematic-ally, a truly breath-taking experience.
I think this film is a breathe of fresh air in cinema as of late, you can leave feeling that you've seen something relatively different for a change. Not just a remake/reboot of something milked to the teeth (though I don't have a problem with those kinds of film, it's just nice seeing something new).
I saw this film a few days after seeing the hobbit, and can honestly say I've thought about this film more in the days after. I'll leave that to you to ponder what that means regarding the impact of the 2 films.