Movie Life of Pi

[NarniMagic]

Who here has seen it?
Saw it the other night, very intriguing and engrossing. The special effects were incredible with the CGI some of the best I've seen. Every movement the tiger made seemed natural and believable. Having not seen the book and avoided any previews/blurbs the suspense was there for me which made it even better. Unfortunately, a whole bunch of parents thought it wise to bring along small children, who were constantly crying and laughing at inappropriate/tense moments in the film.
What did everyone think?

 

[Kcrack]

Loved it, been dying to see it ever since I saw the commercials half way through last year and it delivered. Kinda confused on the ending though..

 

[getthefooty]

As I posted in the other thread, it's a fantastic book, and Lee did a great job in adapting it.

Loved it, been dying to see it ever since I saw the commercials half way through last year and it delivered. Kinda confused on the ending though..

As for the ending...

Spoiler

In the same way that Pi asks the author which story he prefers, the movie asks the viewer which story they prefer. The heart of the message is that 'dry, yeastless factuality' as the book calls it is secondary in importance to imagination and storytelling. The beauty of it is that the story is presented in such a way that while fantastical, everything that happens is so firmly grounded in science and logic that the viewer has no reason to question its validity. I've read some comments by people that read the book/watched the movie that felt 'ripped off' by the ending. IMO if the book/movie makes you frustrated then it has already succeeded in its aim. If up until the ending you were perfectly ready to accept the first story as truth, then why should the introduction of a second story change that belief? Why not believe the first story?

 

[RW]

As for the ending...

Spoiler

I agree with this, I didn't quite see it that way when I read the book and I did feel a bit 'ripped off' by the ending at first. I felt the movie tried to steer the reader more towards believing the first story, while the book seemed to leave it more open to the reader, maybe because of the nature of the medium.

 

[Mint Condition]

I actually preferred the movie to the book. A little less preachy, a lot less repetitively sometimes boringly gruesome. And obviously the visuals in the movie are sensational. That bit where the sperm whale gets crushed by the giant squid and breaks into all the animals from the zoo was amazing. Also loved the opening sequence.

Spoiler

The beauty of it is that the story is presented in such a way that while fantastical, everything that happens is so firmly grounded in science and logic that the viewer has no reason to question its validity.

Spoiler

I kind of disagree with this. The carnivorous island with the meerkats is not grounded in science or logic...and in the book the part where he comes across the other blind survivor on a raft is also pretty hard to believe. When I read the book I thought he was hallucinating that entire bit until the ending puts it all into a new perspective. I do agree it's all a nice allegory of the nature and power of story telling. And you need the ending to make that point.

 

[NarniMagic]

Spoiler

I kind of disagree with this. The carnivorous island with the meerkats is not grounded in science or logic...and in the book the part where he comes across the other blind survivor on a raft is also pretty hard to believe. When I read the book I thought he was hallucinating that entire bit until the ending puts it all into a new perspective. I do agree it's all a nice allegory of the nature and power of story telling. And you need the ending to make that point.

Spoiler

I'm kinda with you there. The story wasn't entirely believable. What I took from the ending was that the writer preferred the first story simply because it was obviously, much more interesting. What I sorta took from it was that the movie as a whole, was from the writer's point of view, describing the story in detail the way he would if he wrote a novel. And seeing as he "chose" the first one, we as an audience obviously get that in greater detail (I'm not sure if any of what I just said makes sense). Keep in mind, this is coming from someone who hasn't read the book.

Also, is it worth marking this thread with a spoiler header? Seeing as the movie has already come out, it would be kinda redundant having the thread communicated in spoiler tags

 

[woopedazz]

I'm considering watching it. The reason I really enjoyed the book was the ending more than anything; without spoiling for me or others is the ending of the movie any good? Regardless of whether it follows the book or not.

 

[HARKER]

As I posted in the other thread, it's a fantastic book, and Lee did a great job in adapting it.



As for the ending...

Spoiler

In the same way that Pi asks the author which story he prefers, the movie asks the viewer which story they prefer. The heart of the message is that 'dry, yeastless factuality' as the book calls it is secondary in importance to imagination and storytelling. The beauty of it is that the story is presented in such a way that while fantastical, everything that happens is so firmly grounded in science and logic that the viewer has no reason to question its validity. I've read some comments by people that read the book/watched the movie that felt 'ripped off' by the ending. IMO if the book/movie makes you frustrated then it has already succeeded in its aim. If up until the ending you were perfectly ready to accept the first story as truth, then why should the introduction of a second story change that belief? Why not believe the first story?

Which was one of the reasons I didn't really enjoy it.

Silly religious sub-text that really lays nothing down but a negative.

Beautiful to look at at but the message is a pretty ordinary one......when you think about it.

 

[getthefooty]

Well, I disagree. When you 'think about it' the message is actually about faith, or having a belief, rather than religion. In the book Pi actually defends atheists because at least they have chosen to place their faith in science, and criticises agnoistics for not making their mind up one way or the other. I don't associate myself with religion at all but still found a way to connect with the book. Also note that the central message is about storytelling rather than religion.

 

[HARKER]

Well, I disagree. When you 'think about it' the message is actually about faith, or having a belief, rather than religion. In the book Pi actually defends atheists because at least they have chosen to place their faith in science, and criticises agnoistics for not making their mind up one way or the other. I don't associate myself with religion at all but still found a way to connect with the book. Also note that the central message is about storytelling rather than religion.

It's also about preferring a the warmer and fuzzier lie than the more mundane truth.

In other words: Why should the truth get in the way of a good story.

That's what I took out of the movie but it may play out differently in the book. I wouldn't know.

 

[Donners]

I saw it today with my girlfriend. She had read the book, but I hadn't.

Wonderful story, beautifully shot and well-acted. Unfortunately, we're both real softies when it comes to animals, and the scenes of them in distress made it really uncomfortable viewing. I'm assuming a fair bit of it was CGI, but it wasn't great to watch either way. There was a kid there bawling her eyes out in the early stages.

 

[Catfish Alley]

It's also about preferring a the warmer and fuzzier lie than the more mundane truth.

In other words: Why should the truth get in the way of a good story.

That's what I took out of the movie but it may play out differently in the book. I wouldn't know.

The outcome was the same in both stories. How do you know which story was the truth??

 

[djrossie16]

Life of Pi -Okay film. The actual visual component has also been overhyped a bit. I remember watching David Stratton's review where he criticised parts of the film particularly the opening about Pi's life in India (which he said was somewhat unnecessary). I actually found the opening 45 minutes and the dialouge with Pi's father some of best parts of the film. The middle regarding life on the boat and the floating island was visually impressive more than compelling. However the scene with the Hyena, Zebra and Orangutan was a great scene. Went a bit too long for me and probably won't be watching again but can't deny Ang Lee is one of the more interesting directors going around. 7/10 for the 3D cinema experience.

 

[Jimmy1992]

Really enjoyed it, and has read the book beforehand, studied it at school in Year 12. The first 45 minutes or so in the movie was, I thought, average at best, simply because I had read the book. It is all needed to set up the rest of the movie, and explore the concept of faith. The fact that I knew what was going to happen during this time made it, in my opinion, tedious. However, for someone who does not initially know the story, it is a necessary component that must be explored.
Overall, Life of Pi was, in my opinion a visual treat, and a movie that made you think, which is a good thing in this context.
I was similarly irate about seeing young kids attending this movie. There were distressing scenes, and as well as this, children would not understand the whole concept of this movie.
8.5/10 from me. Would watch again.

 

[FedEXFalls]

Glad there is now a thread on it as I enjoy reading people discuss the movie. I haven't read the book but watched the movie and really enjoyed it. It isn't something I'd recommend seeing just to kill some time, you need to be committed to it. There were a few teenagers sitting near me in the movie theater who didn't like it because they obviously were there as a social gathering rather than to really think and follow a story line. The more adult people in the movie theater seemed to really enjoy it. I could tell the older people from the young in the theater by their reactions to the joke involving Columbus.

 

[JuddsABlue]

A point for the book readers, was Pi blamed for sinking the boat?

I was speaking to someone involved in ships and he said the boat sunk because Pi left the door open when he went outside, allowing water to fill the ship. He said those ships are air tight when the doors are all locked up for this purpose

He seemed to be drawing a long bow, but it was never really explained so I'm not sure what to believe

 

[Gasometer]

Loved the scene where Richard Parker walked off into the jungle and didn't look back.

 

[Catfish Alley]

A point for the book readers, was Pi blamed for sinking the boat?

I was speaking to someone involved in ships and he said the boat sunk because Pi left the door open when he went outside, allowing water to fill the ship. He said those ships are air tight when the doors are all locked up for this purpose

He seemed to be drawing a long bow, but it was never really explained so I'm not sure what to believe

Nope. He wasn't blamed at all. That never came up.

 

[nicky]

Spoiler

I agree with this, I didn't quite see it that way when I read the book and I did feel a bit 'ripped off' by the ending at first. I felt the movie tried to steer the reader more towards believing the first story, while the book seemed to leave it more open to the reader, maybe because of the nature of the medium.

I disagree, i thought the movie steered the viewer into believing the second story.

 

[ohhhBigMalcho]

just saw it and really liked it, i enjoyed the ending, it was imaginative and left you to your interpretation of belief and faith, just like the character Pi. acting was also 10/10, especially the elder Pi (Adil Hussain)

 

[TheGreatBarryB]

Two good hours of entertainment where you can just escape in a good yarn , great images and scenes. I'm non-religious but respect the view of "which story do you prefer". All about own choice.

 

[CrowEater888]

 

[Portmanteau]

Saw it yesterday in 3D. I hadn't planned to see it at all, but the word of mouth reviews were good enough for me to check it out.

It was great - a visual feast and highly-intriguing story/message (at least after 'the reveal'). There are some pretty clear comparisons as to other movies given the mechanism used, but I am trying to restrain myself from telling others which those are, I'd like for them to discover themselves.

Pissing.

 

[J_Moore]

Wonderfully made film. Compelling immediate narrative. Silly, first-week undergraduate "philosophy" trying to underpin it (not the fault of the filmmaker).

Elegant proof of god? Lol.

Agree that the movie did a good job of sidelining the preachier elements of the book.

 

[Gasometer]

Billy Brownless.