Originally Posted by
sodascouts
Just saw Life of Pi. It's visually stunning and the CGI/real life blending is so seamless I had no clue when they switched out the real tiger for the CGI tiger. That's impressive, as in every other movie I've seen the CGI insertions are quite obvious. There are "set piece" moments of the film, especially the panoramic underwater-world scenes, that are magnificent to behold.
I appreciated the technical skill and the sophisticated allegory of the film. I'd classify it as a "magical realism" journey for spiritual meaning as symbolized in the struggle for survival aboard a lifeboat. It's very remarkable that such a non-traditional film without any major stars got such a huge budget - I guess we can thank famed director Ang Lee's involvement for that. He doesn't disappoint.
However, I can't say I enjoyed it. 90 minutes of the movie consist solely of the lead actor and the tiger fighting to keep alive in a lifeboat adrift for 227 days, and for me at least, it went on too long. I found myself thinking as they faced challenge after challenge in the boat (hunger, thirst, storms, sharks, loneliness, depression, etc), defeated each, and then returned to contemplating life: "Geez, I sure hope they get rescued soon. This is getting old."
WARNING FOR THOSE WITH SMALL KIDS: this isn't a Disney film with the zebras, monkeys, tigers, and hyenas are all friends with each other. The merciless predatory instinct is on full display. I saw a few mothers leave with crying children before the film was out.