I’ve always liked a movie that, when credits roll up, it leaves my mind full of questions, not those hanging, “WTH was that?” questions, but queries that makes me analyze meanings and realize things or ponder on scenes and portrayals. Life of Pi is one of those movies. For me, it has given worth to its admission price, although I never watched it on big screen or 3D, I bet it would have been amazing.
The visuals left me at awe, the whole stretch of the movie never failed to fascinate viewers with its effects, especially the whale emerging from glowing water; it made me wish that, I too will be a living witness, less the being a castaway part. The scenic depictions of day and night in the movie were jaw-dropping.
Actually, a number of scenes made me wonder if it exist in real life. Say, the carnivorous island, as I was watching, I planned to google its existence afterwards, but my curiosity was answered by Pi Patel himself. I wasn’t convinced so I still fact checked everything. Ang Lee was commendable with his direction. I haven’t read the book yet, so my judgment is purely based on the movie.
The cast were convincing, it won’t bag an Oscar if Suraj Sharma and the other casts didn’t give justice to their roles. Then there’s the Bengal Tiger named Richard Parker, it was convincing enough to make me ignore the fact that its coordination and body control whilst the storm proved that its computer generated, still, I felt the protagonist’s fear with its co-existence in the story.
I watched this movie without any idea what this is about, even the plot. My best friend who recommended me the movie just said, “its a story of survival.” It is, I don’t argue with that, although I am more to see it as a story of God’s existence. It was in fact what Pi was trying to prove to the writer who wanted a story to cure his writer’s block.
Its open-ended ending – the choices given to the viewers on which story to believe is the thing that made me like the movie most. It has given control to its viewers, it is not a movie that imposes something – the existence of God, yes, but it is up to the viewers which story to prefer. The movie itself is not putting it forward. It gave room for introspection of oneself. These type of stories are the ones that lingers, so worth the pay, right?
Cyndale Glaze 