The trailer for Ang Lee's 'Life of Pi' sure is pretty
If nothing else, the film will join a healthy cinematography field this year
It's also probably safe to assume the Best Visual Effects category has a serious contender.
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Back during CinemaCon I was a little harsh on gun-jumpers quick to shout "OSCAR!" in response to footage shown from Ang Lee's "Life of Pi." Then when I caught the out-of-context flying fish scene in front of "Prometheus," I was just left a bit cold, if curious.
Well, while I won't outright offer a mea culpa (tossing that word around after 10 minutes is just too steep), I will say I understand why that footage must have been so captivating. Because the just-released trailer is full of scope, wonder, imagination and sheer cinematic passion. It signals what will at the very least be a singular vision, and knowing that vision is coming from Ang Lee has me very, very excited.
Based on the fantasy novel by Yann Martel, the film tells the spiritual story of an Indian boy (Pi) who survives 227 days after a shipwreck while stranded on a boat in the Pacific with a Bengal tiger.
The film bounced around, from M. Night Shyamalan to Alfonso Cuarón, before landing with Lee. Each director moved on to "Lady in the Water" and "Children of Men" respectively before getting their version off the ground.
Will the film have Oscar written all over it? Time will tell. Fox sure would like to be in the game again and this has all the pedigree you could hope for. Still, films with this high a profile crash and burn every season. I'm just interested to see what Lee has to say with this material. He rarely disappoints.
Check out the new trailer, courtesy of Apple, below. Tell us what you think in the comments section or feel free to rank it above.
"Life of Pi" opens everywhere November 21.
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2012-2013 OSCAR PREDICTIONS
Best Picture
Best Director
Best Actor
Best Actress
Best Supporting Actor
Best Supporting Actress
Best Adapted Screenplay
Best Original Screenplay
Best Cinematography
Best Costume Design
Best Film Editing
Best Makeup And Hairstyling
Best Original Score
Best Original Song
Best Production Design
Best Sound Editing
Best Sound Mixing
Best Visual Effects
Best Animated Feature Film
Best Documentary Feature
Best Foreign Language Film
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Comments
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Login or create a HitFix account Login SignupMatt
July 25, 2012 at 5:02AM EST Reply to CommentUgh. Pretty? Sure, but this trailer made me yearn for a Cuaron-style, down-to-earth take on the material. This story doesn't need to be treated with such spectacle.
Jonnybon Those amazing visuals can only add to the story in a good way. It's a great book, but remember it's fantasy.
July 25, 2012 at 5:25AM ESTDylanS I agree with Matt, and I was sort of hoping this would be "Brokeback Mountain" Ang Lee as opposed to "Crouching Tiger" Ang Lee for this material.
July 25, 2012 at 11:41AM ESTJonnybon Well, I'm glad it's not. It's fantasy.
July 25, 2012 at 11:47AM ESTDylanS But its a very particular kind of fantasy. It's not overt visual spectacle, it character driven fantasy. And I think a more subdued treatment (which Lee is certainly capable of) would fit the material best, cinematically speaking
July 25, 2012 at 3:35PM ESTJonnybon I disagree. I think beautiful visuals are perfect for this story.
July 25, 2012 at 5:33PM ESTred_wine
July 25, 2012 at 5:32AM EST Reply to CommentThis looks great. The jumping whale FX needs a bit of work, it looked slightly fake but I also get the feeling that it is intentioned to be that way.
Spoiler Start
A major theme of the book is what actually happened and what is imagined or made up. Though that becomes only clear at the end of the novel. These kind of surreal visuals might bring forth this conceit much earlier into the film.
Spoiler End
But it does look it has a director's voice and images of imagination and beauty.
GlennAU
July 25, 2012 at 5:35AM EST Reply to CommentBecause that's exactly what a movie about a boy on a row boat with a Bengal tiger needs, a down-to-earth take on the material.
Matt I'm sure that's how the film's producers felt as well, hence the over-reliance on spectacle (at least within the marketing campaign). Confidence in their ability to convey that this story is about much more than a boy on a row boat with a tiger would eliminate the perceived need for spectacle.
July 25, 2012 at 7:43PM ESTIf a story needs to be dressed up with spectacle to be appealing, there's a problem.
Zack Don't worry, in ten years Christopher Nolan can reboot it.
July 26, 2012 at 9:09AM ESTAlex L.
July 25, 2012 at 7:06AM EST Reply to CommentI feel like if this is good, it'll be the movie hollywood needs. But it'll also be something that gets backlash later on because the 3d will probably be "phenomenal" (I don't even know what it means for 3d to be phenomenal...) and it'll push it even more. I can't imagine a life where movie tickets will be a perpetual 15 dollars because of stupid glasses that I have piled up right next to me that I can just bring in myself!
BTW, is anybody maybe getting a Lovely Bones feeling on this one? I mean I actually really like that movie but it does have it's faults. I'm cautiously optimistic with a hint of disdain...
JLPatt I've never paid $15 for a movie in my life... try going to an early showing. And "phenomenal 3D" probably refers to its use in movies like "Avatar," "Hugo," and "Pina," where it adds quite a lot to the movie.
July 25, 2012 at 3:37PM ESTYES to "The Lovely Bones" flashbacks, by the way. Totally looks like that, visually.
mdk
July 25, 2012 at 8:59AM EST Reply to CommentThat was a trailer for a feature? Really? I thought it was one of those short feature Coca-Cola ads and I somehow missed the part where the Indian kid gives the tiger a drink from his Coke bottle.
Mike_M Haha, well said, I think that is spot on... this trailer really did nothing for me.
July 25, 2012 at 10:06AM ESTAndrej
July 25, 2012 at 12:06PM EST Reply to CommentLooks cute and whimsy. The tiger/boy dynamics kinda remind me of How To Train Your Dragon.
Matthew Starr
July 25, 2012 at 12:15PM EST Reply to CommentSo what remains in terms of having no footage shown yet. Just Lincoln, Trouble with the Curve and Zero Dark Thirty?
Liz Is Trouble with the Curve really going to be released this year? The release date is only two months away, and no trailer or anything.
July 25, 2012 at 2:39PM ESTI can think of a few more to add to your list, although I don't see Oscar happening for some of these:
Cloud Atlas
Gambit
Not Fade Away (or whatever David Chase's movie is being called these days)
Seven Psychopaths
I think that's it?
Matthew Starr It's odd, maybe they will move Trouble a littler later? Who knows.
July 25, 2012 at 2:45PM ESTJLPatt "To the Wonder?" "Anna Karenina?" Am I wrong?
July 25, 2012 at 3:38PM ESTMatthew Starr Not only is there a trailer for Anna Karenina but they released a 6 minute clip this week.
July 25, 2012 at 4:00PM ESTTo The Wonder is not set to open this year.
Maxim Matthew, are you sure about that (I'm referring to the release date for "To the Wonder")? Especially considering that it's playing in Toronto.
July 25, 2012 at 5:13PM ESTAlso, IMDb currently has Gambit opening early in 2013. Interestingly enough they have a similar date for "Inside Llewyn Davis" from which we also haven't seen anythign yet.
Liz Gambit was bumped up from a January release to October 12: http://boxofficemojo.com/movies/?id=gambit.htm. In my experience, Box Office Mojo is the most accurate place to go for release dates.
July 25, 2012 at 5:38PM ESTAnd Matthew's also right about To the Wonder. As of right now, it doesn't have a U.S. release date. Word is that Malick has turned down all offers so far.
Maxim Yeah, I'd forgoteen about Gambit's date change. That said, I'm not too sure "To The Wonder" will be released next year. It's possible. They may also want to unveil it at Toronto first and then see what offers they get.
July 25, 2012 at 5:58PM ESTKristopher Tapley Maxim: No, To the Wonder is not officially slated for this year. It doesn't even have a distributor yet. It could pick one up in Toronto or otherwise, but even that wouldn't guarantee a 2012 release.
July 25, 2012 at 6:08PM ESTMatthew Starr
July 25, 2012 at 2:42PM EST Reply to CommentI think I realized what I don't like about this trailer. It has too many words. When you have visuals like that, you don't need to to throw the words "FIND YOUR COURAGE" in our face. The footage speaks for itself.
CaptainCanada
July 25, 2012 at 3:02PM EST Reply to CommentI'll be interested to see how audiences react to the ending of this.
JLPatt
July 25, 2012 at 3:40PM EST Reply to CommentSome nice visuals, but definite "Lovely Bones" flashbacks here. Seems like perhaps an over-reliance on CGI. At times the movie looks animated, "Tintin" style.
Matthew Starr Lovely Bones came to my mind as well, not that it's a bad sign or anything. Lovely Bones was a pretty solid movie, it just didn't get any awards traction.
July 25, 2012 at 5:01PM ESTIzzy
July 25, 2012 at 10:48PM EST Reply to CommentAll I can think of while watching it was: this needs a bigger screen, like IMAX size big. The cinema's screen is just not big enough to do justification. I can totally understand the early OSCAR talk. I truly believed it is impossible for the book to become life action. But this really make me looking forward to it.
Frank Lee
July 26, 2012 at 12:01AM EST Reply to CommentUgh, I am put off by any film (or book) that sentimentalizes nature, particularly the most predatory and dangerous parts of nature. What's next: We start teaching children to offer an arm to a Great White Shark? We start celebrating malaria and plague because they come from the natural world?
Zack Have you read the book? No spoilers, but there is sure as shit not a lot of sentimentalizing of nature going on. Yeah, there's a lot about how nature is pretty, but it's balanced out with a lot about how sometimes it wants to eat your ass in excruciating detail.
July 26, 2012 at 9:16AM ESTJJ1 Teehee, this is a funny comment.
July 26, 2012 at 9:16AM ESTOverall, I think it looks beautiful and has potential -- like most films that go on to be either great or disasters.
Gautam
July 26, 2012 at 7:26PM EST Reply to CommentThis year it's going to be toughest fight in the technical categories that Oscars have ever witnessed …
The list keeps on growing … imagine nominating 5 movies for Best Cinematography
Cloud Atlas
Life of Pi
The Hobbit
The Dark Knight Rises
To the Wonder ( u can never count a Malik film out .. specially visual categories)
Django Unchained
The Great Gatsby
The Master
The Avengers
Les Miserables
@Kris .. u will have a hard time guessing all the 5 nominations correct ..
daveylo
July 27, 2012 at 12:01AM EST Reply to CommentI think this footage looks more impressive and exciting than anything in the Lovely Bones.