Life of Pi is two different movies
put in one – the first is a gorgeous, stunning collection of frames that tosses
you on an emotional journey just like its protagonist, and the second, a heavy
handed sermon on the necessity of God and the meaning of life. It succeeds gloriously in the former,
and falls flat in the latter. Either ways, the film provides ample proof that director
Ang Lee can make even an inanimate object filmable.
The film stars Irrfan as Pi and
newcomer Suraj Sharma as his younger self, but the guy who makes the most
impact in Life of Pi is a CGI tiger
called Richard Parker, and it is a testament to how insanely
sophisticated computer graphics have become. Every scene is so meticulously put
together by Lee and his crew, so compelling and eye popping it’s nearly impossible
to separate the CGI from the practical effects. The Hobbit hasn’t released yet, but you would be hard pressed to
find a more gorgeous movie this year. Take a look:
Lee’s adaptation remains faithful
to Yann Martel’s book – after a devastating storm Pi is marooned at sea on a
lifeboat with an orangutan, a zebra, a hyena and Richard Parker the tiger, and
has his task cut out to survive. The tiger is so hypnotic to watch you won’t
believe it until you see for yourselves. Only a blind Oscar voter would not be
able to see the amount of technical effort put in Richard Parker. It almost
seems like Ang Lee channeled all his sorrow from The Hulk’s failure and created a CGI character that will forever be
remembered as iconic. Parker’s eyes are so powerful they actually manage to
flood your brain with the questions layering the theme of the book – whether it
is possible to tame a wild animal and become friends with it, and whether a
wild animal whose life you save will ever return your favor. One moment you’re
frightened to look into his eyes, the next you feel your heart wrenching as
they betray the ever so slight sense of helplessness when Parker hangs on for
life. But the tiger isn’t just the beauty of Life of Pi - there are Avatar-esque
bioluminescent blue-green vegetation, vast expanse of sea, meercats and algae that
emit just the right amounts of magic and realism.
Unfortunately, the two hour long,
carefully crafted emotional buildup leads to a finale that consists of a long,
uncut monologue by Pi, and is absolutely infuriating to watch. Those who’ve
read the book will know that the climax is a frightening turn that explains
majority of the magic realism throughout the movie. But what we get is a
droning line reading of the same, and it totally diminishes the impact of
the events, and goes completely against the point of the whole film. Why bother
making a two plus hour movie if the most important events of the story won’t
even be shown on screen? Might as well put Irrfan in front of the camera and let
him narrate the whole story in twenty minutes. Moreover, the spiritual themes that
pop in and out fail to connect on any level and are only jarring to the viewer.
The metaphor of the duality and unpredictability of life, like the stillness of
water and the raging waves may seem hammy to some. Ang Lee is a master of
emotional jangling, but questions of nature and faith are best left to the venerable
Terrence Malick to realize on screen. Irfan is strictly ok, and it remains to
be seen if this becomes his big Hollywood break. Fans of Tabu will be
disappointed as she makes a blink and miss appearance, but Suraj Sharma is
quite a find.
Life of Pi nearly misses out from being a masterpiece, but it is a hell
of a beautifully crafted film and is remarkably touching for its most part.
It has been marketed as a 3D film, but it should be watched ONLY in 2D, on the
largest screen possible. The 2D version is much brighter and more immersive
than the dimly lit 3D version, although neither version fixes the curious lack
of emotion in the finale.
(First published in MiD Day)
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