The movie was well produced. The scenes of ocean landscape, enhanced by the effects were incredibly beautiful. The adapted story is well performed by the lead actor - Suraj Sharma. His role and performance inspires you - watching a young boy survive a shipwreck, especially with a Bengal tiger, is very inspirational and a testament to the endurance of the human spirit. The way the story is told from two points of view - young Pi and older Pi (played by Irrfan Khan) with the visiting writer (Rafe Spall), makes the viewer feel as though he or she is right there in older Pi's living room hearing this story for yourself and reliving it too. Ang Lee rightfully received the Oscar for his directing, this film was very well executed.
Their were certain events that were completely missed, and others that were added on relative to Yann Martel's original story. And although not everything can be captured from book to screenplay to movie production, and choices must be made - I believe the choices to change the way Pi trained Richard Parker, the exclusion of his chance encounter with a blind shipwrecked person out at sea, as well as the addition of a love interest in the beginning, were not one's that I would have made.The original series of events seem more truthful, and believable to the overall nature of the story itself. That is not to say that surviving a shipwreck with a Bengal tiger is a believable story, but if one is to believe it, I personally believe Yann Martel's version more than the adapted screenplay.
Overall I rate this movie a 4.25.
Good review. However, I don't see how it's more believable of a story if one shipwreck victim meets another drifter at sea. That seems even more unbelievable than it not happening. The love interest was such a small part of the story, I didn't take much notice; I don't think it added much to the story. I think it was mainly added to emphasize the fact that it was hard for Pi to leave his home country and move to America. Definitely not necessary for the film.
ReplyDeleteThanks for the feedback!
ReplyDeleteI think Martel's description in the book of Pi as he was delusional and blind, from malnutrition, and believing that he was speaking to himself when he was talk to another person would have been really interesting to visualize on screen. Also, that scene in the book added more definition to Richard Parker's territory versus Pi's. In the book - when the other person stepped onto Pi's boat, and then mis-stepped into Richard Parker's territory, he was eaten and mauled. Martel never indicated in the book that Pi became comfortable with Richard Parker enough to even physically venture into Richard Parker's territory of the boat - let alone hold Richard Parker's head as presented in the movie. In fact, Pi would have likely been eaten if he had stepped into Parker's zone. If the scene from the book was presented on screen, it would have provided the viewer more insight into Pi's living arrangement with Richard Parker, as well as insight into the natural beasteality of Richard Parker.
This comment has been removed by the author.
ReplyDelete