Life of Pi
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February 1, 2013, 9:43 am
Filed under: Arts, creativity, movies | Tags: ang lee, bengal tiger, christianity, hindu, is there a god, life of pi, muslim, oscars richard parker, pi, religion
Filed under: Arts, creativity, movies | Tags: ang lee, bengal tiger, christianity, hindu, is there a god, life of pi, muslim, oscars richard parker, pi, religion
I'd be tempted to give life of Pi this score out of 3 (3.14159265
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09) but it so annoys me when people talk about giving 110% that I
just can't do it.
So, instead, I'll just have to settle for an old fashioned 9/10.
Now, let's get this straight. Life of Pi has just shown that there
is life left in 3D. It may be, on the whole, a gimmick but the
exception can still prove the point. Only two movies have made
the 3D entrance fee worth the extra IMHO, Avatar and this.
It's a tough movie for bibliophiles to even want to see because the book is so magnificent (in my all time top ten probably) and many
I've spoken to who love it equally are just downright scared that
Ang Lee was going to blow it. The odds were strongly in favour of
that happening because it's a pretty full on philosophical workout.
So full credit has to go to Fox pictures for shelling out $120 million
on the ultimate movie gamble.
How Ang manages to retain the existential angst of the book AND make
a blockbuster movie that holds the attention from start to finish
(yes, including the pretty turgid first 100 pages) is not only anyone's
guess but a cinematic achievement of considerable merit.
It's the storytelling that wins the day but it's wrapped up in
cinematography of the very highest order. So many times one gasps out
loud at what's on screen that it's like a day out in a theme park.
Surely the Oscar for this is certain to go to Claudio Miranda
(Fight Club, Se7en, Zodiac, Benjamin Button).
The acting is universally good but it's the tiger, Richard Parker,
and his four legged companions that really steal the show. CGI
has never, ever been this good. This might sound like it's the
technology that carries the movie but don't think that. It's an
honest, stunning exploration of the true meaning of life,
religion and truth and it’s an absolute must see.
I would not discount it winning best movie come early March and
I certainly wouldn't grudge it.
Ang Lee's finest hour.2 Comments so far
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Sorry about the formatting folks, WordPress went all weird on me
Comment by markgorman February 1, 2013 @ 9:53 amI do not agree with your review but I am sure the majority disagree with me so… I found the story slow and even though it had charm at times I still felt like kicking the movie into life,the special effects were outstanding with the tiger but there was also moments when the tiger turned into Tony from breakfast cereal,the special effects were not perfect to say the least,I enjoy your passion for the film all the same.
Comment by Better than imdb February 1, 2013 @ 10:32 am