Life of Pi Movie Review 2 1534

Life of Pi movie review

The term visually stunning gets thrown around a lot these days without it truly being justified but Ang Lee’s Life of Pi is just that. Resplendent and vibrant, it’s a film which never fails to engage on a visual level even if it too often leans into slow and indulgent territory.

Based on the critically acclaimed novel by Yann Martel, Life of Pi tells the story of Piscine Molitor “Pi” Patel (Suraj Sharma), a young boy who grows up in Pondicherry, India with his family who own a zoo. One day his father decides to sell the zoo, travelling with the animals by cargo boat to North America where he will sell them and start a new life with his family. However, on the journey they hit a bad storm and the ship sinks, leaving Pi stranded on a lifeboat along with a zebra, hyena and a fully grown Bengal tiger.

Ang Lee is a diverse and inventive director when he wants to be and it’s his visual flourishes and subtle nuances that lend Life of Pi its beguiling quality. The plot is amazing enough on its own but Lee finds ever more interesting and unique ways to present it, starting things off with a compelling set-up and thrilling capsizing sequence. It’s just a shame, then, that the initially quick pace and excitement is not kept consistent throughout, to the point where it becomes languid and even a tad boring. Comparisons to the aesthetic of a really, really pretty screensaver would not be entirely inaccurate.

At the heart of the film is an inspiring story of survival, courage and faith which allows you to brings as much of yourself to it as much as it tries to draw you in. But the screenplay, by Finding Neverland screenwriter David Magee, frequently makes the film feel stodgy and stilted in nature, especially in the middle section. There’s a difference between being deliberately paced so as to allow the audience to soak in the atmosphere, themes and emotions at hand and just labouring the point. And while there are certainly effective cases of the former it also, disappointingly, falls into the latter trap.

Life of Pi - movie review

It’s debatable whether the film actually needed to be in 3D but there are sequences – for example the glowing whale jumping scene shown in all the trailers – in which it is utilised to greater effect, and more importantly with more purpose, than most 3D movies which are just churned out for the sake of the extra ticket price. 3D aside the film is undoubtedly a thing of visual beauty; the mere sight of a huge tiger on a lifeboat roaring, scrabbling for food and claiming its limited territory is arresting enough but there’s plenty more to marvel over on both a grand and a smaller, more detailed scale. Obviously a great deal of special effects were used to bring the tiger (and others) to life aboard the boat but it’s utterly convincing throughout – an example of where CGI can enhance the story rather than get in the way. It’s this imaginative, sumptuous aesthetic often advanced by effects that truly enthralls and sticks in the mind.

It has a problematic storytelling framework in that the main character is relaying his story to a writer who wants to turn it into a novel. Though this may have worked in the original book, in the case of the adaptation not only does it mean the film has to clunkily move between the present where the story is being told and the past in which the story takes place but it takes away any sense of danger that he won’t survive the ordeal. Of course that could be said about all stories framed in this way but it’s less inherent in the device and more in the story at hand and how that works in tandem with it. Unfortunately it detracts of the otherwise fantastic story rather than giving it the weight it needed. There’s also a kind of reveal at the end which, not to give anything away, allows you to reflect on everything you’ve hitherto seen and heard. It’s more of an idea that works in principal, and perhaps it does in the source material (which I have to admit I haven’t read), but due to the film sort of petering off in the last third it doesn’t have the emotional impact that was clearly intended.

There’s a lot to like about Life of Pi, from its wondrous visuals and moving score to its compelling performances and overall amazingly unbelievable story. I just wish it had been reigned in more to provide a much tighter, faster paced journey when it is so often left to languish. Nevertheless Lee has delivered , no matter how you look at it, a real experience of a movie.

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Life of Pi is released in UK cinemas on Thursday December 20th.

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I'm a freelance film reviewer and blogger with over 10 years of experience writing for various different reputable online and print publications. In addition to my running, editing and writing for Thoughts On Film, I am also the film critic for The National, the newspaper that supports an independent Scotland, covering the weekly film releases, film festivals and film-related features. I have a passion for all types of cinema, and have a particular love for foreign language film, especially South Korean and Japanese cinema. Favourite films include The Big Lebowski, Pulp Fiction and 2001: A Space Odyssey.

2 Comments

  1. [SPOILERS WITHIN THIS COMMENT] i went out of my way to read the book before seeing this film. The ending in the novel – and what was certainly intended in the film, whether it worked or not – isn’t a “twist” or “reveal”. It’s about what story you believe to be true. He has no proof for either, and it’s 99% the exact same story. The entire thing is a metaphor for religion. So what do you believe: the practical story we can all imagine, or use a little faith to believe in something extraordinary.
    It’s not a twist. Story A may still be true, despite the existence of Story B(in the fictional context of the movie).

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Tolkien Biopic to Be Released in May 0 5287

10th May, 2019 is when Tolkien will be released to the world, an autobiographical film that will revolve around the early days of legendary author J.R.R. Tolkien before he became the literary giant that he is today.

Here on Thoughts on Film we are big fans of his work and the recent films made by Peter Jackson. The Hobbit and The Lord of the Rings (LOTR), are responsible for originating a universe that has gone on to inspire movies, animation, fiction, and modern media interpretations.



This is why Tolkien is regarded by many as the greatest fantasy author of all time. His creative stamp can be seen nearly everywhere in modern media. There’s the direct reinterpretation of his work in the recently released action roleplaying game Middle Earth: Shadow of War, where players are thrust into a major role in Tolkien’s literary canon. George R.R. Martin, who originated the now globally-popular Game of Thrones series on HBO, openly reveres LOTR as the inspiration for his work, citing the early death of Gandalf in Fellowship of the Ring as having a profound effect on his “own willingness to kill characters at the drop of a hat.” On the web, more Tolkien-inspired work can be found on leading slot portal Slingo and its many online titles dedicated to the fantasy genre, including Amazon Queen, Fae Legend Warrior, and Magic Castle, all of which feature elements that can be traced back to the author’s massive body of work. Technically speaking, the same can be said of nearly every major fantasy brand out there today, from Dungeons & Dragons to Magic: the Gathering. In short, almost every type of entertainment that features western fantasy can be traced back to the works of Tolkien.

In the upcoming Tolkien movie, the man will be played by Nicholas Hoult, whom is best known for Mad Max: Fury Road and Hank McCoy in the most recent X-Men movies. And now, the actor’s versatility will be tested as he steps into the shoes of the most iconic fantasy writer of all time. Starring alongside Hoult will be the actress Lily Collins as Edith Bratt – the woman whom Tolkien loved above all and is reportedly the inspiration for all “elven princess characters” in the LOTR series.

Helming the film is director Dome Karukoski whose CV includes 2017’s Tom of Finland, a critically acclaimed chronicle of the life and works of the controversial artist of the same name. And while media outlets haven’t yet heard from either the cast, director, or crew of the film, an official synopsis of the movie has been released via Collider. “Tolkien explores the formative years of the orphaned author as he finds friendship, love and artistic inspiration among a group of fellow outcasts at school. This takes him into the outbreak of World War I, which threatens to tear the “Fellowship” apart. All of these experiences would inspire Tolkien to write his famous Middle-earth novels.” It sounds like a real treat for film, literature, and Middle Earth fans.

Feature: 2019 Oscar Predictions 0 4031

I think it’s fair to say that the run up to this year’s Oscars has been a little messier than usual, from unexpected and bizarre wins at other awards shows (Vice winning Best Editing at the BAFTAs, anyone?) to ridiculous decisions by the Academy to change the show around.

The latter has proved a particular point of contention with both those in the industry to onlookers on social media, with choices such as not letting all the songs be performed to introducing a Best Popular Film category (whatever that means) to not airing four categories live; Editing and Cinematography proved a particular issue, sending the folks of Film Twitter into a Hulk-like rage.

Thankfully all of these decisions except for the one to not have a main host have taken the walk-back of shame; I look forward to Clint Eastwood talking to an empty chair again. Of course there’s still the issue of plenty of thoroughly deserving films, filmmakers and performances not being up for any Oscars at all (*cough* Toni Collette! *cough*) but of course that’s not an issue unique to this year.

The show must go on, as they say, and I thought a week out from this year’s ceremony I’d throw my hat into the ring as far as predictions goes. Below I’ve listed what I think will win in each category, as well as what I personally would like to see pick up that little gold man come next Sunday evening.

Best Picture

Want to win: A Star is Born
Will win: Green Book

Lead Actor

Want to win: Bradley Cooper (A Star is Born)
Will win: Rami Malek (Bohemian Rhapsody)

Lead Actress

Want to win: Olivia Colman (The Favourite)
Will win: Olivia Colman (The Favourite)

Supporting Actor

Want to win: Richard E. Grant (Can You Ever Forgive Me?)
Will win: Mahershala Ali (Green Book)

Supporting Actress

Want to win: Emma Stone (The Favourite)
Will win: Regina King (If Beale Street Could Talk)

Director

Want to win: Alfonso Cuarón (Roma)
Will win: Alfonso Cuarón (Roma)

Animated Feature

Want to win: Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse
Will win: Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse

Adapted Screenplay

Want to win: BlacKkKlansman
Will win: BlacKkKlansman

Original Screenplay

Want to win: First Reformed
Will win: The Favourite

Cinematography

Want to win: Roma
Will win: Roma

Documentary Feature

Want to win: Free Solo
Will win: Minding the Gap

Foreign Language Film

Want to win: Roma
Will win: Roma

Film Editing

Want to win: BlacKkKlansman
Will win: Bohemian Rhapsody

Sound Editing

Want to win: A Quiet Place
Will win: Bohemian Rhapsody

Sound Mixing

Want to win: A Star is Born
Will win: Bohemian Rhapsody

Production Design

Want to win: Roma
Will win: The Favourite

Original Score

Want to win: If Beale Street Could Talk
Will win: Black Panther

Original Song

Want to win: Shallow (A Star is Born)
Will win: Shallow (A Star is Born)

Makeup and Hair

Want to win: Mary Queen of Scots
Will win: Vice

Costume Design

Want to win: Black Panther
Will win: The Favourite

Visual Effects

Want to win: Avengers: Infinity War
Will win: Ready Player One

Animated Short

Want to win: Bao
Will win: Bao

Live Action Short

Want to win: Marguerite
Will win: Marguerite

Documentary Short Subject

Want to win: Black Sheep
Will win: Lifeboat

Do you agree? Disagree? Feel free to leave your predictions/wishes for the winners below or tweet @TOF_UK or @rosstmiller.

Roll on Sunday!