For years, a number of filmmakers have been interested in bringing Life of Pi (the novel by Yann Martel) to the big screen, but were unable to find a reasonable way to create a visual depiction of the story. Only recently had technology advanced to the point where translating the novel to film seemed plausible. So when Ang Lee committed to the process, my interest in the project increased immensely as that ensured the film would be visually stunning. The question remained though, could the CG realistically capture the vision without sacrificing realism and could the structure of the narrative lend itself to the conventions of cinematic storytelling. After watching the film, I am of the opinion that the movie is a bit of a mixed bag.
The plot of the movie is a survival narrative wrought with isolationism. Think Tom Hanks in Castaway except the protagonist is a young man named Pi who along with his family must move from India to Canada. As part of the move, his father must transport animals from their zoo in order to sell them at their next destination. When a ferocious storm sinks their ship, Pi is forced to battle the elements and survive the perils of the open ocean.
It should come as no surprise that Ang Lee absolutely delivers with stunning visuals. The scenery is magnificently framed and an uninterrupted sense of motion permeates the film to almost no end. Likewise, the rich use of color makes it difficult to take your eyes from the screen. Unfortunately, there is another side to filmmaking that has to do with meat and potatoes storytelling and that is precisely why I consider this film a mixed bag. I found myself feeling at various points of the movie that it shifts from being very good to very mediocre, from riveting to filler, from having a singular focus to losing its way. I suspect that this partially due to the source material as it is meant to be a bit of a slow burn. Unfortunately, this results in highly uneven pacing.
If director Ang Lee is the most important person involved with this film, then Suraj Sharma as Pi Patel is the second most significant. In much the way that Tom Hanks had to carry Cast Away, Sharma has to bear the weight of much of this movie. He does a nice job in the role canvasing the broad range of emotions associated with Pi’s plight. His work is complemented nicely by Irrfan Khan’s performance. As adult Pi Patel, Khan does a fantastic job as the present day narrator and greatly enhances the film by lending a robust layer of color to the narrative.
As for the rest of cast, Adil Hussain, Tabu, Vibish Siavkumar, Rafe Spall, and Gerard Depardieu are all competent in their roles, but do not receive nearly enough screen time to impact the film significantly. The most significant supporting player in the movie is the tiger, Richard Parker, who shines as a stunning example of CG. This is no small detail as the misuse of CG can derail even the best of efforts. That such a strong connection can be made between the protagonist and this animal is a testament to Lee, his technical team, and to Suraj Sharma.
At the end of the day, I liked the movie. My issue here is that the plot necessitates Lee slow play his hand in telling the story. This completely grinds the movie to a halt and allows the creative team these moments of self-indulgence where plot advancement is sacrificed for visual style and flair. And in those moments, my interest in the movie waned and I found myself wanting to fast forward to the conclusion. This is an unfortunate turn for a film that at times is flat out brilliant.
Despite some of these shortcomings, I would absolutely recommend the movie. Though he would not have been my choice for the Academy Award, Ang Lee is a fantastic director, who does an admirable job with a project that many deemed impossible to film. I don’t think you will walk away from this movie thinking it the best of the year, but there will be times when you find yourself unable to pry your eyes from the screen.
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