The Life of Pi Review - 3½ Stars

A young boy comes of age in India and even finds a girl to love, but then his father announces the family will pull up stakes and move to Canada, taking the animals of the family zoo with them.  Making their way by sea, a storm sinks their ship and the boy survives in a lifeboat shared with a ravenous tiger — just the two of them — after the tiger dispatches an orangutan, a zebra, and a vicious hyena before turning his wrath on the boy.  Somehow the two find a way to co-exist.  “The Life of Pi” falls somewhere between a tall tale and an allegory or fable.  Told in flashback by the now adult survivor, we’re never sure what’s real and what’s meant to represent something deeper.  “The Life of Pi” allows you to consider matters of faith and religion and a higher power.  It does so with great storytelling and beautiful filmmaking and even uses the 3 D process to advantage.  You probably won’t recognize the lead actor, a newcomer named Suraj Sharma,  but he makes us believe his peril.  Does it deliver what it promises? An unusual and beautiful movie.  Is it entertaining?  Good storytelling.  Is it worth the price of admission?  An awards contender.