Life of Pi question

The movie is surpassingly fantastic, my love for film is a close second to my love for books. The movie was vividly realistic, maybe not to reality but maybe how you might view the world as some one stranded at sea. The screen play was everything you might ask for but with a dash of surprise. Not one piece of the story was sacrificed for the visual demands of an audience.
I will never say a movie is better than a book, but I fell in love with both the movie and the book for separate reasons.

I went to see the movie expecting to be disappointed, but happily I wasn't. Both had their merits and so come out equal for me. Honestly the cinematography was so fantastic i could have enjoyed it without sound. It was like a visit to an art gallery.

The expansive theme of the book is difficult to portray in action, that too within a limited time scheme. The visual effects were commendable but the story has more to it than just adventure. Still i would say the movie could keep up with the book in many aspects and it was a good adaptation.

Both were wonderful

I absolutely loved the book, but the movie was one of the best I've seen. Not much was omitted from the movie and it was so visually stunning! I was wondering, after reading the book, how they were going to recreate the Island, but they did a fantastic job! The soundtrack was wonderful, too.

My husband, who is very reluctant to rate a movie very highly, said this was the best movie he's ever seen.

We took our kids (11 & 8) and they loved it, too.

Well... hmmm.. maybe I should go see the movie.. could never get past the first 100 pages.. and believe me I tried, I REALLY tired ... this book does nothing for me... could never understand why it won anything and why people think it is such a 'good book'... maybe the movie will improve on it...

One of those rare cases when I liked the movie better.

They cannot be compared because a movie is almost every time better than the book because you are seeing, while you read it you need think and make images in your mind if you want recreate what is happening and comprehend everything.

The book was very boring so i never cared to watch the movie. I heard though they made nice computer animations with the tiger. I was disappointed because the book seemed to be really "hot" two years ago, but I never understood why, i thought it was a children's story.

I thought the book was MUCH better than the movie! The movie left out things (well, obviously!) but they missed important parts and added not so important parts. But the visual effects for the movie were really good so... I dont really know which one was better...

I loved both the book and the movie, and I think the producers of the film did an excellent job in translating the difficult story to the silver screen. The visual translations in the film were, in my opinion, simply stunning as the acting.

Content wise i like the book better than the movie, however what was more advantage for the movie were the stunning visual effects which were beautifully crafted! but then again these are different medias of interest, and you can never make an appropriate comparison

I read the book first then i watched the movie. I can't believe myself thinking over and over after watching the movie. Funny, i almost cried. Both were really the best for me :)

I liked the book better than the movie although the photography in the movie was pretty spectacular. If I really love a book, usually the movie disappoints. I'm not sure if I want to see The Book Thief movie for just that reason.

I really like both a lot but I like the book more I think the story was explained a lot more vividly than the movie. I loved the movie too though I have always liked books better than movies anyway

Marta wrote: "The stunning visuals made the movie Life of Pi one of the few I've enjoyed more than the novel. Although the novel was, as all books are, much richer, still, this is one of those rare movies that d..."

The movie was easier to digest, than the book.

Equal for different reason. The movie was a visual cornucopia while the book appealed to my religious philosophies and kept me thinking long after the last page.

Hated the book, just could not get into it, and there is nothing wrong with my imagination. However, I did watch the movie, and was amazed, I really liked it. I actually talked to one of my sons today who called to check in and said he was going to watch it, I said "Great Movie" I don't say that a lot.

i think the movie was better to understand and it was more interesting anyways :)

Definitely the movie! I saw the movie in 3D when it came out and it was my favorite movie of the year that I saw, I wasn't a huge fan of the book. I read it expecting a lot because the movie was absolutely amazing...but I felt sort of disappointed. I think I just loved the movie so incredibly much, I'm not even sure why. I want to watch it again.

I agree with several of the comments that this movie was a wonderful capture of the book. I was reluctant to see the movie because I enjoyed the book and could not imagine that it could be done well on screen. But I was overwhelmed by the experience of watching it. And in my opinion, the beginning of the story is actually told better in the movie. So big ups for the director and his crew for a fabulous job!

T J

My love of books is so deep, that I rarely find a movie adaptation that equals my enjoyment of the book - and I loved this book. That being said, I found Ang Lee's Life of Pi visually stunning, and although the story was necessarily abbreviated, the vision of the director was brilliantly executed and this film stands up to the book on it's own unique merits.

Loved the book more. The movie was more of a summary to me, though the flow was quite something.

The depth of the relationship between Pi and Richard Parker was not well explored in the movie. It therefore lacked in bringing out Pis character transition and who he became in the end. The movie however helped me visualize a lot of what I had trouble imagining in the book.

I liked the movie a lot but it lost a lot in the retelling. The reveal about Richard Parker happened way too early and was heavy handed. That was one of the great moments of the book and it was totally lost in the movie. The visuals were great, but I would expect nothing less. I can't say I was sorry that we didn't witness a zebra being gruesomely eaten alive, but it did take away much of the vibrancy that makes the book so great. The book is definitely better. I'm intrigued to know how the movie plays to people who haven't read the book. My husband says he really enjoyed the movie but I feel like he only got about 50% of the experience.

Book. Hands down.

I love them both! I felt such a great uplifting of my spirit after having experienced each of them! Some stories have the ability to lift you far from yourself and drown you in the connectedness of all life!

I liked the movie better :)

Well, although I thought the movie was fantastic, the reason I loved the story so much was the ending. It caught me really off guard and really made me think. That being said, I read the book 1st so obviously it had more off that impact I enjoyed so much.

I agree, I liked both, but the ending was much better in the book. The ambivalence where you are not completely sure what is and is not real was lost in the film ending. But otherwise visually, the film was stunning.

I like both the same amount. I will say that I saw the movie before I read the book and it made it so much easier to read... if you're reading the book for the first time without seeing the movie, I feel like it will be harder to get through and/or enjoy.

I did like the book but the movie is definitely better in this case (at least for me)

The book kicks the movies ass but both are worth enjoying in different ways.

I watched the movie last night after finishing the book recently. I am normally not someone who is elitist about the book nor do I believe the two should be treated as the same work of art. I realize I’m several years late to the conversation lol, but man I was disappointed in the overall story line in the movie. The movie added so many unnecessary little things that, for me, added nothing to the story itself (like the love interest - WHY??). The visuals were amazing in the movie, or course, but that’s the only thing that was “better” than the book. They also left out so many little pieces and nuances that made me fall in love with the book. And honestly, Pi’s movie character just lacked the same depth and character development that we got to see in the book - for many reasons.

I can't even believe this is a question! The movie, which was enjoyable, cannot even COMPARE with the book, which was amazing!

Movie in 3D, it was so good

for me Book was more enlightening,full of trivia where as movie didn't have the scope to teach you the stuff which book intended to do,nonetheless Movie too was good to watch.

I listened to the book on tape which is rare for me I enjoy reading a book. But, the voices and sounds made the book more alive and exciting. I enjoyed the movie. The visual effects of the movie were breathtaking.

Still prefer the book to the movie quite a bit, but in this case the movie certainly deserves a distinguished "Wow!" due to the visuals, which came quite close to how I'd pictured the events in my head while reading. This is also one of very few movies I saw after reading the novel that I still really liked (the others being Tolkien's books and respective movies). That's rare for me; usually I have to watch a movie first and then read the book second to really be able to appreciate both.

for me, the movie was beyond amazing.. it wowed me a lot...

both are fantastic :)

The book was brilliant and I did a good job imagining it in my head but then I watched the movie and was blown away by the effects! Having said that, I still liked the book better :)

Did not get into the book at all;everyone loved the movie though;

The curiosity got the better of me. The novel was not what I consider good writing. I thought, a movie made based on the book? Things would have to be better explained. I found the movie more cheerful, still was missing some details on the beginning and end. The movie I would rate with 3 stars.

Strangers on a train (Patricia Highsmith) is a great book. I was shocked when I finally saw the movie 'adaptation' - couldn't believe how badly Hitchcock screwed it up - especially the completely different ending.

Movies and books are good in their own way.
Books explain feelings and situation well whereas movies show action and animation well.
I would love book.

The movie was visually stunning! Loved both.

The book! It is one of my favorites. I believed it the whole time I was reading it. Then I got to the ending! I reread the book months later(I couldn't get it out of my mind) thinking in terms that the animals were people. It read like a different book. I was actually hesitate about seeing the movie. I thought it would be difficult to pull off, but with graphics and animation being what it is in cinema- wow. I thought the movie was beautiful. I liked the actor who played Pi also.

I confess I never got into this book, and I tried - really I did, several times. Wasn't the tagline something like "This book will make you believe in God" - or something similar? Anyway - it didn't.

When my daughter, whose opinion I value but don't always agree with, said she preferred the film I watched it. Loved it - from the opening notes of the theme music to the end titles, I loved it. The visuals are wonderful, the acting is splendid and the story, at last, makes sense. Having said that, the film has not changed my views about "God".

While I really enjoyed the movie, I loved the book way more.

I bought the book during a sale. Hubby bought the DVD. The book is better. I like crawling into my own imagination.
Graphically, the movie got me. But, I don't like the hospital scene.