When the whole world is abuzz with the extraordinary depiction of a young boy’s adventurous tale of surviving on a life boat with a ravenous Royal Bengal tiger, here are a few more reasons why the movie Life of Pi is a delightful watch.
The scenes, oh the scenes! Trust me, no movie has ever shown such a real life like sea storm. If Captain Haddock or Jack Sparrow was here they would tell you “Aye mate! That is what a storm really looks like in the middle of the big seas!” The animals were more animal-like than any movie. we have grown up seeing animals acting like humans in movies, where the meanest of animal grows docile by befriending a human. But here, no, the line between a hungry carnivore and a thin vegetarian young boy has been clearly defined.
The best scenes of the visual masterpiece of Ang Lee are –
Richard Parker is introduced to the young Pi
Young Piscine urges his brother Ravi to help him call the tiger in their zoo. Ravi tries to convince Pi that it is dangerous but he fearlessly takes a piece of raw meat in his hand and calls out to Richard parker. The tiger slowly comes, Pi puts his hand through the bars and asks Richard to come and eat. The tiger walks towards Pi and just before anything else happens, Pi’s father comes rushing to save Pi, else of course the tiger would have bitten off his hand with the meat! Then to teach him the lesson that animals are different, he ties a goat to the bars and the tiger kills and drags off the prey. This scene is forever imprinted in Pi’s mind.
The sea storm
Thunder and lightning are cliché, a real sea storm is one that will make you shudder, chatter and pray to the mighty lords of the weather to save you. Pi is seen slipping down the deck, catching onto the handrails, then swimming along the flooded corridors to try to save his family. The whole picturisation of him sailing away in the life boat amidst the huge waves, him jumping into the water and looking at the ship submerging from below is mind blowing.
The hyena, orange juice and the zebra
A hyena is one of the most dangerous carnivores. This hyena “Hari” is still dealing with sleeping pills and hunger and sea sickness. He attacks the zebra whose leg is broken and the orangutan who is sad as she has lost her son. No hyena has ever been depicted as life like as this hyena in Life of Pi.
The fear in his eyes
Pi is a brave boy, but when you have to face a ravenous tiger in a small boat with you, you have to deal with fear. And each time he has to get back to the boat to pick up the food stacked up, he has to do it stealthily and bravely. But you can see it in his eyes that he is scared. For a debut actor who has never acted before, his expressions are most convincing.
The carnivorous island
Though credit here goes to Yann Martel for the concept, but to make it in a movie with the clear pool, the big trees, the animals is remarkable. Look out for the split second scene where Richard, the tiger coolly gobbles up one animal from the big crowd.
The lit up sea and the whale
When Pi is sitting and staring into the sea, the view is breath taking. The fish are luminescent and a big whale swims over and takes a giant leap. Another scene with the beautiful waters is where Richard and Pi both look into it together and see their loved ones faces.
The list could go on, but guess this would be enough to convince you to rush to your nearest cinema hall and watch Life of Pi movie right now!
