Common Sense Media Review
By Betsy Bozdech
,
based on child development research. How do we rate?
Beautiful, emotional, intense story of faith and friendship.
Parents Need to Know
Why Age 12+?
Any Positive Content?
Where to Watch
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Life of Pi
Parent and Kid Reviews
Based on 43 parent reviews
Based on 88 kid reviews
Kids say this film is visually stunning and narratively engaging, with many appreciating its deep themes of faith, survival, and friendship despite some intense scenes. However, reviews consistently warn that its depiction of violence and tragic events, particularly involving animals and Pi’s family, make it more suitable for older children and suggest parental guidance for younger viewers.
- visual storytelling
- deep themes
- intense scenes
- parental guidance
- appropriate age
Summarized with AI
Summarized with AI
What's the Story?
Growing up in India, young Piscine "Pi" Patel (played by Ayush Tandon) is a thoughtful boy who finds himself curious about God in all of his many forms. The strong, if unusual, hybrid faith that he develops serves teenage Pi (played impressively by Suraj Sharma) well after -- spoiler alert! -- he loses his whole family when their ship sinks during a terrible storm and he finds himself adrift on a lifeboat with four zoo animals: a wounded zebra, an aggressive hyena, a friendly orangutan, and the large, unpredictable tiger known as Richard Parker. Eventually just Pi and Richard Parker remain, and together they must figure out how to stay alive on the open ocean.
Is It Any Good?
LIFE OF PI is a beautiful, emotionally resonant tale of faith, friendship, and perseverance. A runaway bestseller when it was published in 2001, Yann Martel's novel Life of Pi was long considered by many to be unfilmable. After all, one of the two main characters is a tiger, who spends much of the story in close quarters with a teenage human. In the middle of the ocean. But director Ang Lee, who is nothing if not unpredictable himself, has proven any remaining naysayers wrong in spades.
It looks absolutely gorgeous -- like James Cameron did in Avatar, Lee uses 3-D to make the world of Life of Pi an immersive, almost tactile place, from the hummingbirds that flit toward your face to the enormous waves that bear down on you during the intense storm sequences. The CGI is equally impressive; while intellectually you know that it would be next to impossible to get a tiger to do the things that Richard Parker does, there are moments when his fur ripples so realistically that you'd swear he's 100 percent real. While some of the story's twists and themes will probably have more impact on those who haven't read the book, there's no denying that Life of Pi is a powerful movie that's just as likely to make you think as it is to make you shed a tear or cheer in triumph.
Talk to Your Kids About ...
Families can talk about which version of Pi's story they think is true. Why do you think that? Which one do you think the movie wants you to believe?
What is the movie saying about faith? Is it necessary to be religious to be faithful? (Or vice versa?) How is Pi's faith tested?
How does the movie depict Pi's many losses? Do you think you could overcome the challenges he faces? How do his experiences change him as a character?
If you've read the book, how does the movie compare? What changes did you notice? Why do you think filmmakers sometimes change things when adapting books for the big screen?
Movie Details
- In theaters : November 21, 2012
- On DVD or streaming : March 12, 2013
- Cast : Irrfan Khan , Rafe Spall , Suraj Sharma
- Director : Ang Lee
- Inclusion Information : Asian Movie Director(s) , Indian/South Asian Movie Actor(s)
- Studio : Twentieth Century Fox
- Genre : Drama
- Topics : Adventures , Animals ( Ocean Creatures , Wild Animals ) , Book Characters , Faith ( Christianity , Hinduism , Islam ) , Family Stories , STEM ( Nature ) , Travel
- Run time : 127 minutes
- MPAA rating :
- MPAA explanation : emotional thematic content throughout, and some scary action sequences and peril
- Award : NAACP Image Award - NAACP Image Award Nominee
- Last updated : October 9, 2025
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