Life of Pi

In Life of Pi, the always-interesting Ang Lee uses three of my least favorite cinematic tools–3D, CGI, and VO (voice-over narration)–to great effect. It is a directorial feat to make a successful narrative film out of Yann Martel’s cerebral book about a young Indian boy who survives a shipwreck and is stranded on the open sea for months in a small lifeboat with a wild Bengal tiger. The project went through many hands; M. Night Shyamalan, Alfonso Cuaron and Jean-Pierre Jeunet were all attached to direct at one point or another. But Lee, in the end, is an inspired choice. His straightforward craftsmanship never outshines the story, a difficult task for a film in which style pretty much has to trump substance. 

I was surprised at how engrossed in the film I became. It's a lovely and engaging piece of cinema, and one that I think audiences will be the poorer for if they skip it. It is also the first narrative film I’ve seen that actually feels like it needs to be viewed in 3D to be fully appreciated. Rather than a deep philosophical or religious meditation, it feels more like an excellent feature-length version of a movie created for the EPCOT Center if they had a “spirituality pavilion.” Of course, I don’t think that robs this picture of any legitimacy. While the film is fairly generic pop-psychology, it manages to remain an affecting cinematic experience.