What could be the reason that these days
there are increasing number of 3D films coming out? Well, one might say, it is
the in-thing - as technology evolves, films are supposed to evolve with them as
well. Whether a story requires 3D or not, the craze these days seems to be to
make 3D films. One of the reasons for a such trend could be to fight piracy that has become a
universal phenomenon. With 3D, film-makers succeed in drawing crowds to the
theatres. Of course, there are films where the theme of the film would look
very dry without the 3D effect. Avatar
was one such film and now Life of Pi.
In fact, it is this 3D effect that carries the film forward.
Director: Ang Lee
Film Clip
The story of the film Life of Pi may not have anything spectacular about it. It is about
how a human being lives with the beast for a while, fighting all odds. And one
day when he thinks that he has made friends with the beast, it just disappears without
even paying him one last obeisance. How cruel! Well, some might say that was
very ungrateful of the tiger to just leave Pi without even a last glance. But the
tiger did the best possible thing. He knew he could not live close to human
beings longer, for if it did one day it might devour the same human being. The tiger
did not want to stoop to that level perhaps! So it did the most charitable
thing under the circumstances by just walking away.
Tiger’s walking away towards the fag end of
the story indeed looks not just sensible and charitable; it has a touch of
detachment in it. It could not be attached to Pi any longer.
The film is stunning in its effects. The debut
of Suraj Sharma has been a memorable one. Irrfan Khan and Tabu are as usual their
natural best. Full marks to Ang Lee.
- Melwyn Pinto SJ
Just a thought on the phenomenon of 3d films that are so popular nowadays. While Life of Pi is a brilliant 3d film, the same cannot be said about the umpteen 3d films that are being released these days.
ReplyDeleteThe plot and cinematography in Life of Pi suited 3D and made for a nice viewing experience. However, most films today have 3D just to capitalize on the craze that surrounds this new technology. Neither does it enhance the viewing experience nor does it lend in anyway to the plot of the movie.
For example, the movie 'The Hobbit' that was released last month. It has been made in 3D and I would say that there are good 3D effects, but somehow after watching the movie, I feel I would have prefered to watch it in 2D. The 3D effects were good, no doubt, but in my opinion it hindered my viewing experience.
There are a couple of reasons for this. The first being the technology itself. One has to wear 3D glasses to watch the movie which I feel are a bit of a pain. Sometimes they are not very clear and depending on where you sit, it gives you a slightly different feel. I also found the the colours in the movie were more vibrant and pleasing to the eye when I removed my glasses. The glasses made everything a shade darker. I also wonder how the viewing experience is for people with poor vision.
Secondly, I felt that having 3D in the movie, took away from one's imagination. Especially in a movie like 'The Hobbit' where one constantly looks to draw parallels with how he/she imagined the events in the book and how they've played out in the movie. In such a scenario, 3D distracts more than it enhances the viewing.