Sunday, December 9, 2012

Life of Pi (2012)

Director: Ang Lee. Cast: Suraj Sharma, Irrfan Khan, Rafe Spall, Gérard Depardieu. 127 min. Rated PG. Adventure/Drama.

An Indian teenager is lost at sea, ... with a Bengal tiger in his lifeboat (and you thought you had it bad). This ambitious film is a spectacular feat in CGI effects, and with every awe-inspiring sea creature you're waiting for another visually stunning showcase - which is exactly the problem: there's almost no story here, and if you take away the special effects, what's left? A good example of a film with SFX in the foreground, instead of the other way around. If it wasn't for a decent philosophical twist at the end, this would've been a Soso.

PS: Most consider the incredible range of sub-genres in Lee's film-making profile (classical romance in Sense and Sensibility (1995), American suburban drama in The Ice Storm (1997), Civil War in Ride With the Devil (1999), martial arts/spirituality in Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon (2000), superheroes in Hulk (2003), homosexuality in Brokeback Mountain (2005), sex in politics in Lust, Caution (2007), 60s music in Taking Woodstock (2009) ), as his great asset. Honestly, as opposed to all great directors, I've never understood what makes Ang Lee tick, and I can never grasp a common theme in his movies - so please guide me if you know better. As a prominent critic says: "Lee is a director whose works I've admired more than loved."

Mo says:

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