Life of Pi Movie Blurb by Shale November 22, 2012 I saw the trailers of this visually stunning PG movie and knew it was a must see. And, as with the previews, the movie is a visual treat even in 2-D, which is what I watched. I have read several reviewers who claim the 3-D is worth the extra cost. The opening credits, with Indian music playing shows the various animals in a zoo at Pondicherry India. Then comes the narrative of Pi Patel (Irrfan Khan) as he talks to a Canadian writer (Rafe Spall). The story then starts at Pi's childhood in Pondicherry where his father (Adil hussain) owned a zoo. Young Pi (Ayush Tandon) who was named Piscine Molitor after a French swimming pool but took the name Pi after taunts at school about 'Pissing' is intrigued by the Bengal Tiger at the zoo named Richard Parker. Pi's father shows him with a goat what a Bengal Tiger can do even behind the bars of a cage. Pi is also curious about the many religions that are in India. So, this movie is not just an action adventure, but also one of a spiritual search. His father is non-religious but Pi is raised Hindu by his mother (Tabu), then embraces Islam and Christianity. (Some reviewers had a problem with this but I have seen Puja tables in India with Hanuman right next to a Christian icon and many spiritual masters there have followers from various religions - so this is not all that uncommon). When the family decides to move to Canada, taking the zoo animals on a Japanese freighter, the action adventure starts when the ship encounters extreme weather and starts sinking. Teenaged Pi (Suraj-Sharma) happens to be topside when this happens and is lowered into a lifeboat that gets dropped into the sea abruptly when a zebra falls into it. When the seas calm, Pi is in a lifeboat with a zebra with a broken leg, a hungry hyena, an orangutan and Richard Parker. That is when Pi abandons the 20-foot lifeboat and constructs a raft that he ties to it. Pi on Raft Nature takes its course and soon it is just the alfa predator left in the boat and Pi realizes that if Richard Parker gets hungry enuf he will swim to the raft and eat him. Most of the movie is how Pi deals with his situation and also the new experiences of the sea around him. An occasional rain provides water and fish provides food for Richard Parker (and Pi who asks forgiveness from the fish). Eventually, Pi comes to terms with Richard Parker and returns to the lifeboat. Pi & Richard Parker in Lifeboat Needless to say, Pi makes it to middle age but this movie is about the wild adventure drifting in the Pacific on a lifeboat with a starving tiger. There are many scenes that are CGI as expected and the scenes with Pi and the Tiger are so amazingly CGI that you don't know where the real tigers leave and the computer tigers come in. Lifeboat with Whaleshark This movie was a wonderful way to pass my Thanksgiving afternoon.
I watched it last night and loved it 2 thumbs up the swift kick of reality at the end to explain the fantasy was awesome
Just won Best Director, Best Score, Best Special Effects. Maybe it got snubbed a little - but it's been a good year =P
Awesome movie...great story. I want to read the book now. Richard Parker is my favorite...why did he just walk away and not say goodbye?
