It is said multiple times in Life of Pi that Pi Patel has a story that will “make you believe in god.” Although Yann Martel’s novel is more compelling than the recently released movie, and may be more likely to inspire belief, Life of Piis engaging and well worth a trip to the theater.
Life of Pi stays true to the book it is based on, with only minor omissions and additions to the plotline. Pi Patel, a precocious teenager, is traveling with his family on a ship from India to Canada when the ship inexplicably sinks. Pi finds himself stranded in a lifeboat on the ocean with none other than a Bengal tiger.
The most notable difference between book and movie is that much of the violence in the film is implicit, toning down the graphic descriptions that are present in the novel. Although some scenes may still be scary for younger children, the movie is suitable for all ages. Forsaking gory violence was a good move by the filmmakers, as the audience is never disturbed by gruesome pictures in the way that readers are distracted by the violent details in the book.
Martel published his novel in 2001 to high critical and popular acclaim. Simply because it is a two hour movie, the film adaptation of Life of Pi cannot touch the viewer in the way the novel impacts the reader. The movie moves much faster, and, although it contains much of Pi’s philosophizing about religion and descriptions of animals, simply does not pack the same emotional punch.
Nevertheless, the movie accomplishes what a book cannot. Life of Pi, directed by Ang Lee, has stunning visuals and beautiful cinematography, and many of the scenes appear highly stylized and computerized. The computerization is extremely well done: although certain images are obviously artificial, they do not appear animated. Even the tiger is computerized: an actual tiger was rarely used in filming, and instead, the image of one was created with CGI technology. The visuals of the movie are similar to those in Martin Scorsese’s Hugo and Shutter Island.
Although the cast list boasts no star names, every actor slips effortlessly into his or her role. The absence of celebrities allows moviegoers to become more absorbed in the film, and thus becomes an asset to its quality, although not necessarily its box office potential.
Life of Pi has been released in both 2D and 3D, so those who get headaches from 3D can still opt for the regular version. However, Life of Pi‘s 3D formatting was extremely well done, and never distracted the viewer from the movie itself.
Ultimately, the film adaptation of Life of Pi brings nothing new to Martel’s novel, but it stays true to the plot and keeps moviegoers absorbed and engaged. Those who enjoyed the book will certainly love to see the story come to life on screen.
Life of Pi was released on Nov. 21. It is rated PG and runs for 127 minutes.
