When I walked out of the theater for Life of Pi I felt cheated. In the beginning of the film we are told that the story we are about to hear can make the listener believe in God. I expected a story so incredible that it could change a life. I didn’t get that story. In fact, my initial interpretation of the movie had me believing that I got a story far from life changing. However, belief is exactly what this movie is about. It was only when I started to believe that the movie started to affect me in the way I think it was intended to.
Life of Pi is, appropriately, the life story of a man named Pi. It is a beautiful and fascinating journey that Pi finds himself on in his life. The visuals in this movie really showcase that beauty. The CGI here is some of the best I have ever seen in a film. There are animals in this movie that are so lifelike that you can’t tell they are CGI. There are also images in this movie that will take your breath away they are so beautiful. The movie even uses multiple aspect ratios to create its vision. 3D is also an option that at times can be impressive and at other times can be a distraction. Overall, visually, Life of Pi is a masterpiece.
The acting in Life of Pi is also top notch. Especially good is Suraj Sharma as the version of Pi that we see the most of in the film. There is a wide range of emotion that he displays here from sadness to joy to anger. On every step of his journey there is an emotional connection to be felt with Pi.
The story, however, is the main element of Life of Pi that makes it stand out. It is said early in the movie that the story will make one believe in God. I can’t say that the story changed my opinions on God in one way or the other, but it did make me think hard about my opinions on God and why I have them. At first when I walked out of the theater I was disappointed in the story I had just been told. I thought that it would affect me more. The truth is that I didn’t let it affect me more. As I looked inside myself and thought hard about my interpretation of the movie my opinion on the story started to change. I started to think about why I interpreted the movie one way and not another. I started to think about the way I think about stories in general. I thought about my beliefs and the power of believing. It was then that I started to see just how great the story in Life of Pi really is.
Life of Pi is something to really praise in the world of cinema. Not only is it visually an amazing film, but it is also a film with great substance. Really, you can’t ask for much more than that. Life of Pi is a movie that should be seen by all. It’s not just a movie, but a way to really look within oneself and discover just why we think the way we think and believe the things we believe.
