Pi Patel is on his way to Canada with his family and a group of zoo animals to make a new life in North America when a storm rocks the ship they are traveling on and makes it capsize. At first Pi rescues several of the animals and places them on a life raft with him: an orangutan named Orange Juice, a hyena, a zebra and a Bengal tiger named Richard Parker. One by one the animals die off until only Richard Parker and Pi are left on the raft. Pi Patel must learn to control the tiger and also find water, food and shelter if they are to survive their ordeal.
Going into Life of Pi I didn't know what to expect. The previews made it seem like it was basically a remake of Castaway with a Bengal tiger. Life of Pi is much more than that. It is a deep philosophical and almost spiritual film which focuses its attention on the importance of faith and believing that you can accomplish anything. The film never goes so far as to say which religion or belief system to follow; it has a more Universalist feel to it. Pi himself says that he is a Hindu, Muslim and a Christian. The film itself is absolutely breathtaking. My favorite scene is about halfway through when it is night time and Pi meets a humpback whale. The whale is feeding on a group of krill and out of the blue leaps over the boat that Pi and Richard Parker are seated in. I have never been a big fan of 3D, but I saw Life of Pi in 3D and it was one of the most beautiful things I've ever seen onscreen since Avatar. Some people may or may not get turned off from the spiritual and philosophical content, but I highly recommend it.
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