‘Life of Pi’ transcends unreal special effects

  • By Robert Horton Herald Movie Critic
  • Tuesday, November 20, 2012 9:55am
  • LifeGo-See-Do

There may not be, in the history of seafaring, an instance of a man shipwrecked with a tiger. But that didn’t stop Yann Martel from creating his 2001 novel “Life of Pi” around such an encounter.

It’s relatively easy to write a novel about a man and a tiger sharing a lifeboat, but not so easy to make a movie of such a thing. Oscar-winner Ang Lee gives it a shot, with a digitally festooned film that aims for magic and occasionally achieves it.

The shipwreck story is told to us by the adult Pi, played very touchingly by the Bollywood actor Irrfan Khan (the police inspector in “Slumdog Millionaire”). He’s telling a tale of his youth, how he got the name Pi and how he ended up in the middle of the Pacific Ocean with the aforementioned jungle cat. Pi is played in the main story by Suraj Sharma.

Ang Lee knows how to make big movies (“Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon”) and intimate ones (“Brokeback Mountain”), and this is both. There’s a large-scale shipwreck, which might be the most dazzling sequence in the film, and there are also tiny problem-solving issues facing a man in the middle of the ocean.

The movie seeks to explore the nature of humanity, and perhaps also the presence of God. I think it’s actually about the nature of storytelling, and not very much about God, but that might be my reading of the framing story with the narrator, which grows in importance as the film goes along.

All of which is ambitious and thoughtful. But actually watching “Life of Pi” is a curious experience, in large part because the movie would be impossible to shoot without extensive use of computer-generated imagery, especially involving the animals (a hyena, a zebra and an orangutan also survive the wreck).

“Life of Pi” wouldn’t exist without digital effects and green-screen technology, because there’s no way you shoot a movie in the middle of the Pacific with a real tiger. Lee and his technicians whip up a gallery of effects, including phosphorescent ocean creatures, storms at sea and, of course, the big cat, whose name is Richard Parker (long story). All of which is available in 3D in some theaters.

It’s a technical achievement, that’s for sure. And while I was watching those scenes I was mostly thinking of the technical achievement, which can’t be the right way to experience the enchantment the movie wants you to feel.

In fact, I was much more impressed by the scenes of Pi as a middle-aged person, sitting in his home. The real drama actually lies with this man, who has a parable to tell about why we need stories, and why we invent them. Analog or digital, that’s where real mystery lies.

“Life of Pi” (3 stars)

Ang Lee’s 3D digital extravaganza about a shipwreck survivor and a tiger who share space on a lifeboat, adapted from Yann Martel’s novel. For all the movie’s shiny, vaguely unreal effects, the real mystery of the tale comes in the framing story of the man narrating it; the computer-generated stuff pales by comparison.

Rated: PG for violence.

Showing: Alderwood, Cinebarre, Stanwood, Sundance, Cascade, Woodinville.

Talk to us

> Give us your news tips.

> Send us a letter to the editor.

> More Herald contact information.

More in Life

Brandon Hailey of Cytrus, center, plays the saxophone during a headlining show at Madam Lou’s on Friday, Dec. 29, 2023 in Seattle, Washington. (Olivia Vanni / The Herald)
Lynnwood-based funk octet Cytrus has the juice

Resilience and brotherhood take center stage with ‘friends-first’ band.

FILE - In this April 11, 2014 file photo, Neko Case performs at the Coachella Music and Arts Festival in Indio, Calif. Fire investigators are looking for the cause of a fire on Monday, Sept. 18, 2017, that heavily damaged Case’s 225-year-old Vermont home. There were no injuries, though a barn was destroyed. It took firefighters two hours to extinguish the blaze. (Photo by Scott Roth/Invision/AP, File)
Music, theater and more: What’s happening in Snohomish County

Singer-songwriter Neko Case, an indie music icon from Tacoma, performs Sunday in Edmonds.

Dominic Arizona Bonuccelli
Tangier’s market boasts piles of fruits, veggies, and olives, countless varieties of bread, and nonperishables, like clothing and electronics.
Rick Steves on the cultural kaleidoscope of Tangier in Morocco

Walking through the city, I think to myself, “How could anyone be in southern Spain — so close — and not hop over to experience this wonderland?”

chris elliott.
Vrbo promised to cover her rental bill in Hawaii, so why won’t it?

When Cheryl Mander’s Vrbo rental in Hawaii is uninhabitable, the rental platform agrees to cover her new accommodations. But then it backs out. What happened?

The Moonlight Swing Orchestra will play classic sounds of the Big Band Era on April 21 in Everett. (submitted photo)
Music, theater and more: What’s happening in Snohomish County

Relive the Big Band Era at the Port Gardner Music Society’s final concert of the season in Everett.

2024 Honda Ridgeline TrailSport AWD (Honda)
2024 Honda Ridgeline TrailSport AWD

Honda cedes big boy pickup trucks to the likes of Ford, Dodge… Continue reading

Would you want to give something as elaborate as this a name as mundane as “bread box”? A French Provincial piece practically demands the French name panetiere.
A panetiere isn’t your modern bread box. It’s a treasure of French culture

This elaborately carved French antique may be old, but it’s still capable of keeping its leavened contents perfectly fresh.

(Judy Newton / Great Plant Picks)
Great Plant Pick: Mouse plant

What: Arisarum proboscideum, also known as mouse plant, is an herbaceous woodland… Continue reading

Bright green Japanese maple leaves are illuminated by spring sunlight. (Getty Images)
Confessions of a ‘plantophile’: I’m a bit of a junky for Japanese maples

In fact, my addiction to these glorious, all-season specimens seems to be contagious. Fortunately, there’s no known cure.

2024 Hyundai IONIQ 6 Limited (Hyundai)
2024 Hyundai IONIQ 6 Limited

The 2024 Hyundai IONIQ 6 Limited is a sporty, all-electric, all-wheel drive sedan that will quickly win your heart.

The 2024 Dodge Hornet R/T hybrid’s face has the twin red lines signifying the brand’s focus on performance. (Dodge)
2024 Hornet R/T is first electrified performance vehicle from Dodge

The all-new compact SUV travels 32 miles on pure electric power, and up to 360 miles in hybrid mode.

Don’t blow a bundle on glass supposedly made by the Henry William Stiegel

Why? Faked signatures, reused molds and imitated styles can make it unclear who actually made any given piece of glass.

Support local journalism

If you value local news, make a gift now to support the trusted journalism you get in The Daily Herald. Donations processed in this system are not tax deductible.