When the nominations for Best Picture came out this year I had heard of seven of the nine (Amour and Beasts of the Southern Wild were new to me.) Of the seven I knew, Life of Pi was the one I had the least interest in seeing. But after watching it, I am very happy I did, as this film surprised me greatly. Going into it, I knew it was a nomination so I assumed it was deserving of it. I also knew it was about an Indian boy on a boat with a tiger… and that’s it. Learning the story of Pi Patel (whose real name is longer and it has an interesting story itself) was made very interesting by the use of narration, as an older Patel tells his story to a writer. Ang Lee does a terrific job directing and the visual effects are really good. And this movie has 11 nominations! Touching on each part might be hard, but I can definitely say that every nomination is worth it.
The visual effects were so realistic, especially when it came to the animals. The screenplay is solid and the music is appropriate and haunting, but still full of adventure. Also, no matter what age Pi is, he is very interesting, just like the story he tells. There is great motivation, energy, and you just want to root for him the entire two-hour trip. To be honest, I was hooked within the first ten minutes of the movie because I was taken by the way the movie was presented. I can’t be certain, but I think if the events of the movie happened in real time, they would have seemed unreal and bizarre. But somehow when it is told like a story, a true story in Pi’s life, it was like a nonfiction adventure tale and you just wanted to see what happened next… how does he get out of this one? What does he do to combat the elements? The Life of Pi had me hooked from the get-go.
There is a lot of talk about religion in this movie, since Pi actually says he is following three different religions simultaneously (and teaches a fourth), but I don’t think the movie is preachy at all. It’s not like it is shoved down the viewer’s throats. And if you want a good adventure/drama film, see Life of Pi. I was surprised (as a casual viewer) and I have a feeling you might be too.
Michael Night's Miscellany 