Ocean story is a flood of 3D brilliance
Life Of Pi (PG, 127 mins)
Drama/Action/Romance. Suraj Sharma, Adil Hussain, Tabu,
Irrfan Khan, Vibish Sivakumar, Rafe Spall, Gerard Depardieu.
Director: Ang Lee.
Oscar-winning director Ang Lee (Brokeback Mountain) experiences
film-making in 3D for the first time with this handsome adaptation
of the acclaimed novel by Yann Martel.
Life Of Pi is the first film since Avatar to fully exploit the
eye-popping format, immersing us in the central character's
water-logged odyssey, including a terrifying sequence in angry seas
reminiscent of Titanic.
The hefty premium levied by cinemas to wear the uncomfortable
plastic spectacles is worth every penny.
Lee's vision is breathtaking and entire sequences have been
masterfully choreographed to take full advantage of the depth that
3D brings to the big screen.
A school of flying fish darts straight at the camera, causing us
to duck and weave; the walls of a freshwater pool seem to stretch
down into inky blackness forever; and shards of moonlight break
through overlapping tree canopies laden with chattering
meerkats.
It's a tour-de-force of technical wizardry.
Yet all of this gorgeous wrapping would mean nothing without a
deep emotional core, and once again, Lee elicits stunning
performances from his ensemble cast that leave us choking back
tears.
In a slight departure from the source novel, screenwriter David
Magee uses a simple framing device to draw us into the
narrative.
An inquisitive writer (Rafe Spall) turns up unexpectedly at the
door of Pi Patel (Irrfan Khan), having been told the stranger's
life story deserves to be immortalised in print.
In flashback, Pi recounts his youth as the son of a circus owner
(Adil Hussain), who decided to sell the family business in
Pondicherry and emigrate to Canada with his wife Gita (Tabu) and
two boys.
A raging storm causes the Japanese freighter to overturn and
young Pi (Suraj Sharma) escapes in a lifeboat along with a zebra,
orang-utan, hyena and a tiger called Richard Parker.
The rest of the clan, including Pi's older brother Ravi (Vibish
Sivakumar), perish at sea.
As the days pass, the predators prevail until just Richard
Parker and Pi remain, trapped together in a vast expanse of
water.
"I'm afraid his last meal will be a skinny, vegetarian boy,"
quips the trembling hero in voiceover.
Life Of Pi is a deeply moving tribute to the endurance of the
human spirit in the aftermath of senseless tragedy.
Sharma, who has never acted before, is mesmerising, plucking our
heartstrings in close-up as his character is flung repeatedly
through the emotional wringer.
He doesn't strike a single false note and his relationship with
the tiger is beautifully realised in tense, humorous and touching
scenes.
Claudio Miranda's sumptuous cinematography ravishes the senses,
enhanced by slick digital effects, which bring the menagerie of
two- and four-legged species to life.
Lee marshals a dizzying array of elements with jaw-dropping
ease, proving that substance and style can be blissful bedfellows
in the right hands.
:: No swearing :: No sex :: Violence :: Rating: 8.5/10
To find local screenings for LIfe Of Pi, click here
19/12/12
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