Life of Pi

Play trailer

2:10

Life of Pi

PG

Released Nov 21, 2012

2h 5m

Adventure

Drama

Play Trailer

Watchlist

Watchlist

Tomatometer

Popcornmeter

86%

Tomatometer

252 Reviews

84%

Popcornmeter

100,000+ Ratings

After deciding to sell their zoo in India and move to Canada, Santosh and Gita Patel board a freighter with their sons and a few remaining animals. Tragedy strikes when a terrible storm sinks the ship, leaving the Patels' teenage son, Pi (Suraj Sharma), as the only human survivor. However, Pi is not alone; a fearsome Bengal tiger has also found refuge aboard the lifeboat. As days turn into weeks and weeks drag into months, Pi and the tiger must learn to trust each other if both are to survive.

Watch on Fandango at Home

Buy Now

Critics Consensus

A 3D adaptation of a supposedly "unfilmable" book, Ang Lee's Life of Pi achieves the near impossible -- it's an astonishing technical achievement that's also emotionally rewarding.

Read Critics Reviews

Shubhra Gupta

The Indian Express

A boy, and a tiger, and a vast, endless ocean. Ang Lee makes a film out of material that seems almost unfilmable, and a lot of it is quite wondrous.

Rated: 3.5/5

Mar 22, 2019

Full Review

Deborah Ross

The Spectator

While you are bathing in all the beauty, you are waiting and waiting and waiting for this film to say something, yet when it finally does... it all just feels empty somehow.

Sep 4, 2018

Full Review

Nick Pinkerton

Sight & Sound

Lee shows his hero's imperilled position as a mixed blessing. By tottering on the ledge of his mortality, Pi gains a front-row seat on the miracles of creation... All this is, in a word, Awesome.

Jul 31, 2018

Full Review

Brian Eggert

Deep Focus Review

A marvelous piece of visual poetry with insights that require contemplation long after the visual awe has subsided.

Rated: 4/4

Sep 21, 2022

Full Review

Keith Garlington

Keith & the Movies

The animation involved in bringing Richard Parker to life is something you just have to see. I was blown away.

Rated: 3.5/5

Aug 23, 2022

Full Review

Danilo Castro

Next Best Picture

ee's directorial instincts are sharp as ever. He can cultivate a believable relationship between Pi and Richard, relying primarily on subtle body language and, of course, the masterful visual effects.

Rated: 8/10

Jul 28, 2022

Full Review

Read all reviews

Lou M

An exceptional achievement. I was deeply stirred in a way I found hard to understand. Something important for me was uncovered in the watching.

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

11/26/24

Full Review

Lyla R

The images created with CGI enhance the movie to a very high level. The CGI is so good, especially for its time, like I genuinely thought the tiger was real, when in reality it was just a stuffed toy. I think the CGI definitely adds to the film, but at times you could tell that there was a green screen. For example when Pi and Richard Parker were looking over the ocean you could tell it was a green screen. Overall I thought it was a great movie and I really loved the use of CGI.

Rated 4 out of 5 stars

11/15/24

Full Review

Daxton K

The Life of Pi was very engaging and fun film. I think the story telling narrative was very good and the cgi in this film was extraordinary. The tiger looked so life like and since it was so life like you really felt like Pi was in danger when in reality he was not. I think my favorite scene where cgi was used is when the whale comes out of the water because it looked really good.

Rated 4 out of 5 stars

11/15/24

Full Review

Cormac A

The Life of pi was very engaging with the cgi like the where the whale jumps out of the water or sharks swimming in front of him or even the tiger that is with pi the whole movie are cgi which makes this movie even more impressive than just the engaging plot.

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

11/15/24

Full Review

Ricardo W

Quisiera tener otra clasificación más alta para dársela a este film. Es todo lo que debe ser una película, y mucho más. Bien merecido lo tendría si arrasara con todos los premios de la Academia, y habría que inventar algunos otros sólo para elevarla a donde tiene que estar y estimular a más gente a verla. Así de buena es. Comencemos por lo más obvio, que son los méritos técnicos: fotografía, edición, efectos especiales y sonido se unen para darle vida a un mundo alucinante, donde lo real y lo mágico se fusionan y dejan al espectador sin aliento. Ya es conocida la historia de cómo en principio se consideró que esta historia sería imposible de filmar, y cómo la testarudez de Ang Lee probó lo contrario, pero cuando uno escucha eso sin haber visto el film es fácil pensar que se trata de un bodrio al mejor estilo de James Cameron. Pues olvídense de Pandora, Avatar no le llega a los talones a esto. No existe un recurso técnico mal aprovechado en este film, ni colores inexplorados, ni paisajes mal retratados, y sólo por ese lado ya vale la pena verlo. Sin embargo, suele ocurrir en este tipo de largometraje que se haga evidente la falta de balance y proporción entre forma y contenido, y creo que lo más destacable en este caso es que no sea así. La historia es sencilla, pero con una profundidad filosófica contundente. No sólo es el guión una clase magistral de narrativa, sino además con parábolas aparentemente ingenuas, se nos lleva a un viaje de auto-exploración muy intenso. Los recuerdos de familia, la niñez, el aprendizaje de las lecciones más duras de nuestra infancia, la religión, el más allá, el sentido de pertenencia social... todos estos temas y muchos otros respiran a través de las palabras, todas cuidadosamente elegidas en un guión justo y preciso. Así, la belleza demoledora de las imágenes es apenas el contexto para un viaje interno bastante significativo. Ang Lee dirige como sólo él puede, ya nos ha brindado mucho en el pasado, mas sigue teniendo muchos ases nuevos bajo la manga. A ratos Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon, a ratos Taking Woodstock, y sin duda con muchas propuestas novedosas, Ang Lee vuelve a mostrar aquí que es un maestro, y como gran parte de su filmografía, esta película será materia de estudio y referencia en años por venir. No dejen de ver esta película, se los pido por favor, y de hacerlo en gran formato y 3D. No lo lamentarán.

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

10/06/24

Full Review

Vincent R

The movie made me read the book, and that's really saying something because I've only ever read maybe 5 books. It was that good. So good infact, that I read almost any article, or watch any discussion I come across regarding this story.

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

09/06/24

Full Review

Read all reviews

Read More

Read Less

POST RATING

WRITE A REVIEW

EDIT REVIEW

Ang Lee

Director

Suraj Sharma

Pi Patel

Irrfan Khan

Adult Pi Patel

Tabu

Gita Patel

Rafe Spall

Writer

Gérard Depardieu

Cook

Show Less Cast & Crew

Show More Cast & Crew

Big Miracle

74%

64%

Big Miracle

Watchlist

Chasing Mavericks

32%

70%

Chasing Mavericks

Watchlist

Max

37%

70%

Max

Watchlist

TRAILER

for Max

Two Brothers

79%

75%

Two Brothers

Watchlist

I Am David

38%

83%

I Am David

Watchlist

Discover more movies and TV shows.

View More

Morgan Freeman’s Five Favorite Films

2022 Asian/Pacific American Heritage Month TV & Streaming Calendar

AFI Fest Selections Score Big During Awards Season

Most Inspiring Movies

24:28

Life of Pi: Trailer 1

2:10

View more videos

View more photos

Synopsis

After deciding to sell their zoo in India and move to Canada, Santosh and Gita Patel board a freighter with their sons and a few remaining animals. Tragedy strikes when a terrible storm sinks the ship, leaving the Patels' teenage son, Pi (Suraj Sharma), as the only human survivor. However, Pi is not alone; a fearsome Bengal tiger has also found refuge aboard the lifeboat. As days turn into weeks and weeks drag into months, Pi and the tiger must learn to trust each other if both are to survive.

Director: Ang Lee
Producer: Gil Netter, Ang Lee, David Womark
Screenwriter: David Magee
Distributor: 20th Century Fox
Production Co: Gil Netter, Haishang Films
Rating: PG (Peril|Emotional Thematic Content|Some Scary Action)
Genre: Adventure, Drama
Original Language: English
Release Date (Theaters): Nov 21, 2012, Wide
Release Date (Streaming): Jul 31, 2014
Box Office (Gross USA): $125.0M
Runtime: 2h 5m
Sound Mix: Dolby, SDDS, Datasat

Most Popular at Home Now