Life of Pi

[True Believer]

3D.  Visually outstanding.   Beautiful story if you can last through the cast a way scenes.  But it all added together at the end.   

Not a fluff movie.  You have to think.   

[True Believer]

Ang Lee - Oscar for best director

[True Believer]

Also won Best Cinematography, Original Score and Visual Effects.

[sevenof400]

TB,

I happened across this movie on one of the premium channels recently.  I have it DVR'ed and plan to watch it soon but in a glimpse of the movie I saw the part where the tiger is trying to get back in the boat and looks to be drowning.  A very sad moment - the look on the tiger's face was gut wrenching even though I know it was CGI created......

This will not be an easy movie to watch.   

[sevenof400]

Man is there a lot of symbolism in this movie....

Perhaps I should put a spoiler alert here before I go any further...

[sevenof400]

Okay, here we go....

Other than the fact the movie literally comes out and tells you this is a story about why a person believes in God, I'm not sure what it is about this movie that is supposed to convince (or try to convince) a person of God's existence.  Perhaps I am over thinking it because faith is an individual process but other than the fact that several events in this movie have a (tenuous, at best) connection to biblical events, I don't see this movie as a testimony to one's arrival at faith. 

Perhaps it is Pi's faith that allows him to cope with a series of events that would cause lesser individuals to give up when the circumstances were at their worst....maybe that is the moral of this movie (if indeed there is one). 

[True Believer]

Yes full of symbolism.

Pi had 3 different religions presented to him in his life and he tried to find God in all 3.

Pi tells 2 stories to the  men who picked him up  and they believe the one with the animals in it.  The animals represented people on the lifeboat.  To me, Richard Paker, represented Pi.  The men chose the one with the animals because they could understand it more clearly.  Not that they understood the symbolism.  But they could relate.

Very difficult to watch!  To me the movie's "Moral" is that people are going to chose to believe what they want to believe.   

I have read several people's opinions of what this movie really meant.  There is the story.  But there is also a substory going on.  Everyone has had a different opinion.

I think it is About struggle.  About surviving.  About having God in your life or not.  About faith.

I think this movie is as difficult to explain as life and which path each person is suppose to take to have peace in their life.  Or in others words.  God.

[sevenof400]

I wonder if Richard Parker represents Pi's failure to find God .... or at least his doubts.  I found it interesting how Pi's father reminded Pi of what Parker was and his description of what one saw when they looked into Parker's eyes (simply a reflection of one's self).  How interesting a thought that a tiger (perhaps the ultimate predator) can be a reflection of one's self....

I was also struck be the cold, hard reality of Parker consuming the goat providing a sharp definition of what Parker was versus (at the end of being cast away) the almost loving interaction between Pi and Parker.  Was Pi proving his father wrong or was Pi finally understanding his doubts and putting them to rest?

For Pi and Parker to coexist, it seems that Parker must represent some portion of Pi that doubts the existence of God.  It is interesting that the struggle between Pi and Parker keeps Pi alive and sane during his time at sea. 

One thing is for sure, this movie is one of the few I can recall that has made me think about it for a good period of time after watching it.  Field of Dreams and Saving Private Ryan are the films that have given me considerable reason to think over the years and while I don't put Life of Pi into that category, I certainly enjoyed it. 

[True Believer]

It's one that I need to watch again and again.   Maybe then I can decide what it ALL meant. 

I think even the raft represented life.  The fish jumping in the boat. Being thirsty yet having all the water around.   Gosh there is so much! 

[Uncle Ivan]

It would've been more entertaining if they'd actually filmed the kid with a real tiger in the boat.

[Ridge Rat]

I lol'd for real. Absolutely hated sitting through it, although the wife and daughters loved it. Both sons were with me on it.

[sevenof400]

I get the fact this isn't your average action flick these days - that's okay as I like some variety in films.  How many more Transformers/Expendables/Die Hards/Bourne whatevers can we tolerate?

(Please note I did NOT include anything Avengers related in that list.....) 

Films that make you think a bit aren't all bad.  Come on and give it a chance...

[Ridge Rat]

I saw only the first Transformers movie and hated that crap. I only watched the first few minutes of the Expendables and switched channels, so I'm not all about action films. I just didn't care for Pi.

[sevenof400]

Fair enough. 

But please tell me you like the Avengers series movies.....

[Ridge Rat]

LOVE IT!! I was afraid they'd screw it up after Iron Man was so good, but they've done it right so far.