Life of Pi, Ang Lee’s allegorical
meditation on survival, struggle, the nature of storytelling and spirituality,
is a delicate, dazzling, devastatingly gorgeous, but disappointing film in
terms of its dramatic thrust. Visually stunning and completely immersive, the
world Lee creates is one of lyrical, haunting beauty, but the movie falls a bit
short in terms of emotional involvement, long-lasting impact, and narrative
complexity.
The
fantastical fairytale, adapted by screenwriter David Magee from Yann Martel's award-winning, bestselling
novel, drifts for much of its duration, centering on the title character’s
staggering two hundred plus days at sea, stranded on a life boat with an adult
Bengal tiger incongruously named Richard Parker.
