Life of Pi (3/12/2013)

Rated PG for emotional thematic content throughout, and some scary action sequences and peril.

Staring Suraj Sharma and Irrfan Khan

Directed by Ang Lee (Hulk and Brokeback Mountain)

Stunning!

A young man who survives a disaster at sea is hurtled into an epic journey of adventure and discovery. While cast away, he forms an unexpected connection with another survivor: a fearsome Bengal tiger.

Todd’s Word: If you’ve heard anyone talk about Life of Pi, you have inevitably heard about the special effects and the ending. If you’ve not seen this film yet and hate when someone “ruins” the ending for you… please mind our “spoiler alert” warning a little later in this review, because we need to talk about the special effects and the ending.

Jonathan’s Word: Yeah. I wish we could talk about the ending in detail, because I could talk about it for quite a while. I think we’ll just allude to it in this review after our “spoiler alert” … but wow… very interesting film.

Todd’s Word: To say Life of Pi is breathtaking would be too easy and too much of a cliché. If you’ve ever experienced something so amazing that your mind needed a moment or two to catch up, to understand what it is you were seeing, then you know what it is like to watch this film. I experienced that on more than one occasion during the emotionally draining two hours… and loved every minute of it.

Jonathan’s Word: This film was interesting for me. When I saw the previews, I really wasn’t interested. I thought it looked visually intriguing, but I thought it looked boring.

Todd’s Word: Really?

Jonathan’s Word: Yep. I thought, “How much can they stretch out a kid and a tiger on a raft?” (I’m not giving anything away there, it’s on the freaking poster!)

Todd’s Word: And it was so much more!

Jonathan’s Word: Yep. I was on a plane and the film was on. I was supposed to be writing, but every time I looked up… the film was visually intriguing! I finally couldn’t resist and picked up my headphones and tuned in. I only caught 20 minutes of the film and the plane landed. When I got home I told my family, “We’re so renting that film!!!”

Todd’s Word: It was visually enticing. My rule of thumb is if you can’t tell the difference between what is real and what is CGI…those are impressive special effects. And the special effects in this movie are wildly impressive. My only regret was not have seen it in 3-D on the big screen.

Jonathan’s Word: Ha… you know me and 3D. I’m GLAD I didn’t see it in 3D. But it was equally impressive on a HD screen, I assure you, without the limitations of the 3D technology today, which in my opinion is a step down from HD.

Todd’s Word: Sigh. You had to insert that, didn’t you.

Jonathan’s Word: The truth, yes. But the film was visually astonishing.

Todd’s Word: Life of Pi is so much more than just special effects. This story is so powerful that it will keep you up at night days after the credits roll…especially the ending.

Jonathan’s Word: This movie was really well done across the board. The part that drew me was the visuals, but once I started watching it, I was drawn in by the lead character, his performance and the fascinating storyline. The film really had it all. Then, yes, the ending…

SPOILER ALERT
The ending really shocked me. I didn’t expect it. I didn’t think I was watching M. Night Shyamalan. The twist ending (which I believe is a spoiler in itself, telling someone that there is a twist ending) surprised me. Luckily, I hadn’t heard there was a twist ending, so it caught me by total surprise.

Todd’s Word: Me too. It may not be as shocking as the ending to The Six Sense, speaking of M. Night, but I would definitely put it on par with the ending of The Usual Suspects.

Jonathan’s Word: I can’t really differentiate the two of those examples… those two are both the surprise films of the century… but it definitely caught me off-guard. We won’t speak specifically about what the twist was, but I could probably talk with you about it for a long while because… to be honest… I really don’t know what to believe. It’s one of those films you want to discuss afterwards.

Todd’s Word: It was brilliant. And Suraj Sharma and Irrfan Khan were both brilliant as they played the same character in two different stages of life. They are both very compelling and very convincing as they tell their life story.

Jonathan’s Word: All the performances were convincing, even the Tiger. I was intrigued how much the film makers brought the animal to life.

Todd’s Word: I didn’t fully know what to expect as the movie started, but I am beyond pleased with this powerful story of survival. It is “Worth Buying”!

SHOULD KIDS SEE IT?
There is no sex or nudity and relatively no profanity in this film.

There are several intense scenes that may be too disturbing for younger viewers. Scenes like when the boat sinks and the scene towards the end, when Pi realizes that death is inevitable. There is also a long and intensely emotional scene where Pi describes a very violent scenario, in which a man kills two people, a body is eaten by sharks, and Pi kills the man with a knife.

The film is very polytheistic. Some might find the film “politically correct.” Though I didn’t find it preachy at all.

CONVERSATION STARTER

1. We don’t know for sure how long Pi was out there on the ocean, but we can agree that it was a very long time. What were some of the things he did to survive?


2. Besides the physical things like fresh water and food what was the one thing that kept him alive? (Get your students to say something along the lines of hope.)


3. Read Psalm 121
   
   Hope is a very powerful thing, and even more powerful when our hope is in God.
   
   Where does our help come from?


4. According to this passage, why should we but our hope in God?


5. It’s unlikely that you will find yourself floating in a lifeboat in the middle of the ocean with the Bengal tiger, but it is very likely that you will find yourself in a difficult situation. What is one thing you can do to find comfort and peace in the middle of your storm?