“Double posting AGAIN?”

I know, I know. Dirty habit. But really, what better day to review “Life of Pi” than March 14, Pi day? I would have bumped the Engrish post, but it was kind of a belated blogiversary gift to Jae at Lit and Scribbles… So here we are again. Hi there.

When I heard they were doing a film adaptation of “Life of Pi,” I cringed. The book is never as good as the movie, of course, but this went beyond that. It had been a few years since I’d read the book, but I remembered it being captivating. Mesmerizing. Unfathomably beautiful. Absolutely impossible to bring to life on-screen (yes, I think about this when I’m digesting a book).

But it happened, and the reviews were good, so we went to see it when we went to the city in December…

I was blown away.

I don’t know how they did it, and I don’t want to analyze it. I’m content with “it’s magic.”

My husband hadn’t read the book. He also loved the movie, which surprised me. Often when we leave a movie based on a book, I feel like I need to fill in the blanks for him, and he has questions that the book answered (hello, Hunger Games!). The ambiguous ending of this one was no worse than the book, though, and everything they used in the movie worked well.

Maybe I’d have been less impressed if the book was fresher in my mind; distance does make movies more enjoyable for me. But there you go: gorgeous, moving, inspirational movie, and recommended right here by one person who has read the book and one who hasn’t.

Just be warned: if you’re anything like us, you’ll start yelling “No, Richard Parker!” every time you see a tiger. Possibly forever.

Long story short: 5 stars, two thumbs up, the book was still better but the movie is fantastic (in my opinion)