The art of filmmaking is something that’s not
as appreciated or celebrated as much as other mediums are, like books, painted art,
and music…well lately it’s been two out of three. Anyway, I blame the system for that, because
more often than not, it’s about the bottom line and not so much the quality of
the product that is eventually put on the screen. Then something comes along
that makes you love what movies are and what they strive to be. “Life of Pi” is
one of those movies that, on the screen make you really appreciate the art of
filmmaking and what it can achieve.
Pi has what
seems as a pretty normal life, as a kid, Pi’s family owned a zoo in India and
that is where the fantastic part of his story comes from. Owing a zoo can be
quite costly, and when Pi’s family can no longer afford the Zoo, Pi’s father
sells all the animals and moves his family to Canada. Passage for the family on
a cargo ship is included in the purchase of the animals. On the voyage to
Canada, Pi’s life changes forever. During a storm, the ship that Pi and his
family are on sinks, but Pi somehow makes it to a lifeboat. During the chaos a zebra somehow makes it on
as well. After the storm it doesn’t take long for Pi to realize that another
animal made it on board as well, a hyena, who wants nothing more than to eat. An
orangutan also survives the disaster, and is brought on board after floating on
a bunch of bananas. The hyena makes
short work of the other two passengers, and just when it seems like Pi would be
next, Richard Parker makes the hyena his dinner. Richard Parker though is even
a bigger problem for Pi, because he is a Bengal tiger. Pi must survive being
stranded at sea and having to share a life boat with a hungry tiger, and after
all of this, his story just might make you believe in God.
Ang Lee is
one of the best and diverse directors out there and with “Life of Pi” he shows
you why. It’s like a great painter painting his masterpiece and Ang Lee may
have made his. “Life of Pi” is everything you want in a movie, and on top of
that it is beautiful. The thing that helps make this so is the vividness of the
3D, and it is 3D done right. Too often 3D is used to bring the movie to you
with water or an object coming at you, and it usually causes the image to be
darker. “Avatar” got it right, and “Life
of Pi” has as well, the 3D is used to enhance the movie in a visual sense. The best
part is that this movie has substance as well, not only does it look amazing
but the story is just as good. The screenplay was written by David Magee, from
Yann Martel’s unforgettable novel and keeps the important parts of the novel
intact. This is why you go to the movies,
to be amazed, to feel transported, and this is the perfect movie to remind how
magical going to the movies can really be.
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