Films/DVD Asylum

Posted by tunenut (A) on December 03, 2012 at 17:20:49

I've not seen this mentioned here.

There is a framing device, a wide-eyed questioner hearing the events recounted by the main character, Pi. The framing device allows a certain amount of ambiguity (good) and a rather shallow philosophical/religious message (unnecessary IMO).

This is a minor aspect of the movie, however, which is a journey. For much of the movie, the only characters are the young Pi and a Bengal tiger. This is not heavy on plot, it is more of a string of episodes. Some of the episodes are quite major, but there is a lot of drifting on the ocean.

What elevates this movie is the visual eye of Ang Lee and his team. This movie utilizes its 3D subtly and effectively and portrays wide skies and oceans, undersea vistas, islands. There are obviously digital effects involved, but when the seas get angry, they are visceral and scary. It does not feel like a cartoon. And on that visual level, I was glad to see this on a big screen in 3D.