This is the rare movie I wish I had seen in 3D. [I’m told it has some of the best 3D since Avatar.] And even in two dimensions, Ang Lee’s latest wildcard is visually stunning. The problem I have is that the look of the movie wowed me but it kept me at arm’s length emotionally.
What Works: By now, you probably know the story but it’s about an Indian boy named Pi whose father owns a zoo, and his family (along with their animals) travel to America on a doomed cargo ship. He escapes to a lifeboat that—–at different points——has a hyena, a zebra, a monkey, and a tiger on it. Automatically, this scores huge points for originality and there is something technically astounding at seeing a giant, believable tiger negotiate its way around a lifeboat and the lead character have to avoid being eaten. In sequences like that and the tantalizing but mysterious island Pi comes across, the movie dazzles you so completely that you almost feel it’s a great movie…
What Doesn’t Work: …Until reality comes crashing down (much like it does on Pi himself) and you figure out that you don’t really feel for this character like you should. Sure, you feel sorry for him, but you never feel you really know him, and his struggles don’t really become yours. As I said above, on a visual level, Life of Pi is untouchable, but emotionally, it’s also hard to touch, in the worst possible way.
What I Would Have Done Differently: The framing device where Pi tells his life’s story is necessary (to help set up the end, which helps the otherwise far-fetched story go down more smoothly) but it also undercuts the tension at every turn. I wish there were some way to have it both ways, and maybe there is, but the movie doesn’t show it to us. [Plus, the tiger’s name being “Richard Parker” is a decent joke that is repeated to the point of being annoying.]
I too wish I had known it was in 3D. Visuals are really good.