Life of Pi: A Movie Review

A few weeks ago my friend Benny asked me if I wanted to go to the movies. I love going to the movies, so I didn’t even ask what was playing. I just said yes. Once we were on the bus on our way, Benny explained that Life of Pi was playing and he thought it would be good. I’d heard of Life of Pi and seen it on a few bookshelves. I think it made the high school reading list long after I was out of high school. Other than that, I knew nothing about it.

Which might be why watching it was such a magical experience. The film is beautiful, but more than that it’s just a really great story. You might have seen the trailer or heard of it and thought, it seems boring. About a tiger and a teenager stranded in a boat. And yes, that is what the movie is about at a glance. But there is so much more to it. It’s kind of like Kite Runner meets Jumanji meets The Old Man and the Sea.

Here’s the premise of the movie. A writer in Canada is at a loss for what to write, and while at a coffee shop, he runs into someone who tells him that there is a man with a story worth telling. The writer goes to the house of an Indian man who begins to share his life story. The movie flashes back to his youth. Pi is growing up in India as the son of zoo keepers. He is curious and adventurous and brave. When India starts to change, his parents decide they will take the animals they own and move to Canada. The animals and the family load up on a Japanese cargo ship and begin their journey. Of course, the ship is wrecked in a storm, and Pi makes it into a lifeboat with a few of the animals. Eventually, it is only him and the tiger. From there the story is one of survival as Pi struggles with his fear of the tiger, but also the companionship it offers. In the end of the story, there is an unexpected twist, giving the entire story an emotional depth that made me want to stay seated and watch it again with my enlightened eyes. Remember when you saw The Sixth Sense and wanted to go back and rewatch once you realized that Bruce Willis was dead? It’s kind of like that. Only more subtle.

While the movie is beautifully done with surreal effects, it’s the good old fashioned story telling that I fell for. Solid characters, simple plot, and enough depth to draw me into it. You should definitely go see it. Mainly because no one I know has, and I’d love to talk to someone about this movie!