Film Review: LIFE OF PI (2012)

Director: Ang Lee
Writers: David Magee (screenplay), Yann Martel (novel)
Running time: 127 mins (approx)
Certification (UK): PG

Genre: Adventure/Drama
UK Release date: 20^th December 2012

Watched at the Picture House, K-Town Friday 28^th December 2012.

PLEASE NOTE: THERE MAY BE SPOILERS IN THIS REVIEW.

Although I haven’t read the book, I have heard an awful lot about this film since its release. The media are positively buzzing about this one and so I was very pleased that the Picture House in K-Town (my local cinema) decided to show it. So myself and a couple of friends (yes, I got some of those too) took a trip and enjoyed an evening with the ‘Life of Pi’. The subject of much debate at the end, mainly about what it all meant, but certainly a film I’d like to see again, but maybe after reading the book this time. Here’s a very brief summary.

We are told the story of Pi, or to give him his full name; Piscine Molitor Patel. It is told in flashback as the adult Pi (Irrfan Khan) relates his tale to a writer (Rafe Spall). We hear about his early years in India and how his father Santosh Patel (Adil Hussain) met his mother, Gita (Tabu), and how she taught him about the Hindu religion. He subsequently discovered other religions along the way. They ran a Zoo but the city council owned the land it was on and so Santosh decided they were going to move to Canada; taking the animals with them. While crossing the Pacific on a Japanese freighter, they are struck by a massive storm and Pi finds himself the only survivor. He is stranded on a lifeboat with a zebra, an orang-utan, a hyena and a Bengal tiger called Richard Parker. What follows is an amazing tale of survival that I don’t quite have the words to describe and so I’ll leave it here (the film is much better than anything I could write anyway).

First off, it looks stunning; every shot has been meticulously worked out and executed with a high degree of skill and care. The VFX are quite amazing (I have to say for the record that I watched it in 2D). For me the film is in three parts, the story of Pi before he leaves India, the story on the ocean and the story when he makes it to land. It’s the middle section I found the most compelling; every time there’s a cut-away from the boat I couldn’t wait to get back. A very metered pace to proceedings allows the audience to become enwrapped in this tale. Ang Lee is very good at this kind of filmmaking and I have to applaud him for this particular effort. Over all, visually stunning and beautifully made; I thought the young actor Suraj Sharma, who plays Pi on the boat was truly excellent in the role. It may not be to everyone’s taste (too few explosions for some I suspect), but I certainly enjoyed it – it’s well worth a look.

SteelMonster’s verdict: RECOMMENDED

My score: 8.2/10

IMDb Score: 8.3/10 (based on 38,989 votes at the time of going to press).
http://uk.imdb.com/title/tt0454876/

MetaScore: 79/100: (Based on 44 critic reviews provided by Metacritic.com at the time of going to press).

Rotten Tomatoes ‘Tomatometer’ Score: 89/100 (based on 203 reviews counted at the time of going to press).

Rotten Tomatoes ‘Audience’ Score: 90/100 ‘Liked it’ (based on 37,155 user ratings counted at the time of going to press).
http://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/life-of-pi/

If you’re crazy enough… You can find me on Facebook at:
http://facebook.com/andy.steel3

FAVOURITE QUOTES:
Santosh Patel: You think tiger is your friend, he is an animal, not a playmate.
Pi Patel: Animals have souls... I have seen it in their eyes.

Adult Pi Patel: What has mamaji already told you?
Writer: He said you had a story that would make me believe in God.
Adult Pi Patel: [laughs] He would say that about a nice meal.

Santosh Patel: We will sail like Columbus.
Pi Patel: But Columbus was looking for India!

Adult Pi Patel: Now we have to send our little boy to the middle of the Pacific.
Writer: And make me believe in God.
Adult Pi Patel: Yes, we will get there.

Pi Patel: I can eat the biscuits, but God made tigers carnivorous, so I must learn to catch fish. If I don't, I'm afraid his last meal would be a skinny vegetarian boy.

Adult Pi Patel: I suppose in the end, the whole of life becomes an act of letting go, but what always hurts the most is not taking a moment to say goodbye.

Writer: [reading off the report] Mr. Patel's is an astounding story, courage and endurance unparalleled in the history of ship-wrecks. Very few castaways can claim to have survived so long, and none in the company of an adult Bengal tiger.

LINKS:
(NOTE: All links were working at the time of going to press)
Official Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/LifeofPi
Official Site: http://www.lifeofpimovie.com/
Trailer:

Film Review: THE SCOUTING BOOK FOR BOYS (2009)

Director: Tom Harper
Running time: 89 mins (approx)
Certification (UK): 15

Genre: Drama
UK Release date: 19th March 2010 (Limited)

Watched on Sky+ Saturday 30th April 2011.

PLEASE NOTE: THERE MAY BE SPOILERS IN THIS REVIEW.

I remember hearing about this film when it came out, as I recall, it got a pretty good reception. On the strength of this I decided to give it a viewing. It’s quite hard to put down in words the feelings that are brought forth by this British made coming of age tale of love and loss. This one can really get to you if you’re in the mood for it. I thought it was very good and that the young actors involved were really excellent.

Emily and David are teenagers, they both live at a caravan park on the Norfolk (England) coast. They are like brother and sister, inseparable. One day Emily hears that she is going to have to go and live with her father. This changes everything for David, his feelings for her may run deeper than he is prepared to admit. The following day Emily disappears and David is the first one they call on to find out where she is. Of course he denies all knowledge and they focus on Steve, the security guard at the park. Little do they know that David and Emily have hatched a plan to hide her so she doesn’t have to go and live with her father. Unfortunately things don’t go according to plan and, as time passes, David finds out things about Emily that he wishes he didn’t know. I can’t tell you what it is as I don’t want to spoil it for you.

There are some great songs in the soundtrack from the band ‘Noah and the Whale’, and a nice score by Jack C. Arnold. It’s a very well made film with some really nice cinematography. I particularly liked the use of close-ups. As I said earlier, the two young actors involved are truly excellent. Holliday Grainger as Emily is every bit the young teenage tom-boy she portrays and Thomas Turgoose does an excellent job as the love-lorne David. Also, an honourable mention goes to Rafe Spall as Steve.

I really liked this film. It has a very measured style that gently takes you along the path of this bittersweet tale. It’s unmistakably English and I think it works better for that, playing on your emotions right up until the rather tragic ending. It’s not perfect, the pacing seems a little bit off in places and I felt that some of the characters were a little bit too larger than life, but over all, I liked it. So, if you’re prepared for a bit of an emotional ride with a couple of great performances in a very well shot film, then I can definitely recommend this one to you.

My Score: 7.3/10

LINKS:
(RT = Rotten Tomatoes)
IMDb Page: http://uk.imdb.com/title/tt1022885/
RT Page: http://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/the-scouting-book-for-boys/
Trailer: