Review: 'Life of Pi'

Fox 2000 Pictures

Life of Pi is the story of a young man by the name of Pi, stranded at sea with no one but his enemy, a tiger by the name of Richard Parker. How can he survive? What does he turn to find strength? Whether it is the simplest of things like how he and Richard Parker got their names or how he survived months of being stranded at sea, Pi’s story is mesmerizing even at its weakest moments. Even though Life of Pi’s conclusion may be misleading considering how it’s set up plays, Director Ang Lee’s combination of visual’s and story make for a film that is eycatching to say the least.    

Years after Pi’s remarkable journey when a writer (Rafe Spall) arrives at Pi’s home wanting to hear a story that will ‘make him believe in God’. This leads to Pi (Irrfan Khan) telling him not just about his time stranded at sea but also his experiences growing up in India. With Pi’s story beginning long before his time at sea, the audience is given a proper and nothing short of fascinating introduction. From early on in Pi’s life, it becomes clear that he a person that uses creativeness to get him through difficult situations. With this creative nature comes curiosity which contributes to him becoming a Hindu, Christian and Muslim. This interest in religion and a higher power leads him to develop an understanding of faith. All of these qualities and experiences play a role in Pi’s greatest challenge. 

Richard Parker, the other half of the duo stranded at sea, is also given a solid introduction in Pi’s story. When Pi attempts to feed Richard Parker, a Bengal tiger in the zoo his parents own, his father quickly stops him and explains that a tiger is not a friend and should not be treated as one. He demonstrates this by placing a live goat in the same cage as Richard Parker, a scene that, although not the easiest to watch, helps to explain the relationship of Pi and Richard Parker. This is also where the spectacular animation that is Richard Parker can be seen. The life like animation of Richard Parker, along with all the animals in the film, never becomes noticeably unreal and is choreographed in such a way that gives each animal a personality, drawing the audience to more than just the human characters.

Pi goes on to tell the writer that when he was 16 years of age his father decided to move his family to Canada and sell the animals of the zoo. On the way to Canada though, a horrific storm causes for the ship that Pi, his family and several animals are aboard to sink. Pi is on deck while the rest of his family is below sleeping when the ship starts to fill with water. He attempts to wake his family so they can get on a life boat but before he can do so, one of the crew members throws him into one of the boats. This scene, as tragic as it is, is visually stunning due to the way that the animals are incorporated into the organized chaos of the ship sinking. 

The majority of Life of Pi takes place in the middle of ocean with Pi (Suraj Sharma) being stranded in a life boat with Richard Parker. Whether it be artsy visuals featuring ocean life, Pi doing everything in his power to stay alive and away from a dangerous Richard Parker or the strong personality given to Richard Parker, it becomes difficult to take your eyes off the screen. At the base of Pi’s time at sea and really the entire film though is faith. Through the use of voice over, it becomes clear that Pi’s faith in some type of higher power keeps him alive. The other thing that keeps him alive is Richard Parker. As Richard Parker becomes dependent on Pi to keep him alive, Pi becomes dependent on Richard Parker. In a way, the idea of Richard Parker can be related to God. Although Pi claims to practice three religions, he often refers to Christianity’s God. So like God, Richard Parker is something to fear but at the same time provides strength to push through. 

When Pi and Richard Parker finally wash up on shore and Life of Pi has to wrap everything up is when it runs into problems. When stranded at sea, Pi and Richard Parker’s relationship goes through changes and development but the expected path that this relationship goes down is not only different from the actual result, it is rather flat. When watching this relationship develop it is easy to believe that its conclusion or future will be of a grand style but instead it goes a different direction that does not mesh well with both character’s arc along with the arc of their relationship. It comes off as too subtle and dismissive of the magnitude of events that just took place. 

Even though it may not have the desired finale which may causes it to appear bigger than it really is, Life of Pi is a film that should be experienced anyway. In a time when visuals are rarely incorporated into a story, Life of Pi is a breath of fresh air. Ang Lee has always been a director that can successfully mix story with aesthetically pleasing images but with Life of Pi he takes this skill to another level, making for an engaging experience that you cannot take your eyes off of.     

Grade: B