Life of Pi

Play trailer

2:10

Life of Pi

PG

2012

2h 5m

Adventure

Drama

Fantasy

Mystery & Thriller

Play Trailer

Watchlist

Watchlist

Tomatometer

Popcornmeter

86%

Tomatometer

253 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, 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.

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

03/22/2019

3.5/5

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.

Go to Full Review

Deborah Ross

The Spectator

09/04/2018

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.

Go to Full Review

Nick Pinkerton

Sight & Sound

07/31/2018

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.

Go to Full Review

Don Shanahan

Every Movie Has a Lesson

Jul 20

5/5

The gravity and weight of that experience, even as fictionally parable and symbolic in nature as "Life of Pi" intended, is treated very well by Lee and never comes across as cheesy or overwrought whatsoever.

Go to Full Review

Brian Eggert

Deep Focus Review

09/21/2022

4/4

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

Go to Full Review

Keith Garlington

Keith & the Movies

08/23/2022

3.5/5

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

Go to Full Review

Read all reviews

Blake- N

@PBSAniDom 2d

Life of Pi is a visually stunning and emotionally powerful film that’s absolutely worth watching. Without giving anything away, it blends adventure, survival, and deeper philosophical themes in a way that feels both engaging and meaningful. The cinematography is breathtaking, with scenes that really stick with you long after the movie ends. The storytelling is thoughtful and layered, offering more than just a surface-level experience if you’re willing to think about it. What makes it stand out is how it balances spectacle with heart. It’s not just beautiful to look at—it also leaves you reflecting on its message. Overall, it’s a captivating and memorable film that easily earns a 9/10.

See more

Mate P

@matepolcz 5d

Life of Pi is gorgeous, but it has slow parts. The characters are well-written and interesting, although I would have liked to spend more time with the whole family. I didn't know anything about this movie other than what's on its poster, so I was constantly surprised by the events turned out. The directing is outstanding. Most people wouldn't call the cinematography too cinematic, because it operates with or mimics natural lighting. The editing is wonderful, but the pacing is inconsistent, which refrains me from loving this film. The visual effects are phenomenal, some of the sequences look effortlessly realistic. The production design is incredible, while the cast is good and the performances too. Life of Pi is a visual modern masterpiece, that fails to complete itself, because of its messy pacing.

See more

Eli H

@EliHendricks Feb 18

"If it happened, it happened, why should it have a meaning?" Seems to be the ethos of the movie. The film thinks its saying a lot more than it actually is and comes off, as with many of the images, as artificial. The movie relies on its imagery, and that imagery has not aged well and in fact looks strikingly similar to A.I.

See more

Eli H.

@Eggman80 Feb 11

grate story it shows it in literally and metaphorically

See more

Tomato B.

@GummyBee Jan 19

It’s good, but this feels like a great example of a movie that tried too hard

See more

car m

@carmma Jan 2

my son cried and kept hitting his thigh

See more

Read all reviews

Read More

Read Less

WRITE A REVIEW

EDIT REVIEW

POST RATING

Ang Lee

Director

Suraj Sharma

Pi Patel

Irrfan Khan

Adult Pi Patel

Tabu

Gita Patel

Rafe Spall

Writer

Gérard Depardieu

Cook

Big Miracle

74%

64%

Big Miracle

Watchlist

Chasing Mavericks

32%

70%

Chasing Mavericks

Watchlist

Max

37%

70%

Max

Watchlist

TRAILER

for Max

Two Brothers

78%

75%

Two Brothers

Watchlist

I Am David

39%

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, 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, Fantasy, Mystery & Thriller
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