Life of Pi

2012, PG, Directed by Ang Lee 
Starring: Suraj Sharma, Irrfan Khan, Rafe Spall, Tabu

Much has been said about the doubt that surrounded the production of Life of Pi when the rights to adapt Yann Martel's novel were acquired almost a decade ago. Directors came and went (M. Night Shyamalan, Alfonso Cuaron, Jean-Pierre Jeunet) before Ang Lee took hold and - thankfully - never let go. The doubt stemmed from what is the film's centrepiece second act; a boy's family and animals from their dried-up zoo are being escorted from India to Canada when a storm causes the ship to go down. The boy, Piscine Patel (shortened to Pi due to a bout of bullying) is stranded in the middle of the ocean with nothing for company except Richard Parker; a savage Bengal tiger. That Lee successfully imagines Martel's pages is an understatement; visually, this is a success of home-run proportions.

The film's opening in India, doubled with the glorious soundtrack pitted to the roaming animals of the family's zoo is perhaps one of the most aesthetically-pleasing opening credits sequence that completely captures what this film is about - 3D has never been so relaxing. Once the shipwreck has occurred - the 3D of which has never been so breathless - the visual interplay between Pi and his animal companions (not to spoil anything, but there's a few) is movie magic, the unpredictability of the creatures ramping up the heart race. Ang Lee may have once weighed down his interpretation of Hulk with unnecessarily bold bravura, but if Life of Pi is lesson learned then Hulk could find fresh appreciation in Hollywood. Lee creates scenes within scenes, changing nothing but backdrop and uses the heavy inclusion of water to his advantage; the number of underwater scenes that depict characters as if they're soaring through the clouds is, simply put, pleasant to watch. Just sit back and revel at the spectacle of a whale leaping out of the expansive sea, luminescent with jellyfish.

As for the film’s acting talent, Suraj Sharma's debut which sees him acting alongside nothing but CGI (the most finely-tuned since Rise of the Planet of the Apes) is so on the money you don’t even realise it. No wonder he’s just been selected for the BAFTA Rising Star award. Irrfan Khan and Rafe Spall as the adult Pi and a writer looking for a good story respectively hits the right notes in the bookending present-day scenes. Whichever way you view the divisive third act may slightly hamper your enjoyment of all that has come before and will leave you hungry for explanation; however, the film’s spiritual undertone is prevalent from the outset, and does require you to extend your mind if you wish to draw conclusions from the narrative, even though ambiguity will still remain. Because at its core, Life of Pi isn’t a film about belief – it’s about storytelling...and what a story this is.

4/5

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