Director Ang Lee creates a phenomenal castaway film about a young man who is thrown into an unlikely duo with a Bengal Tiger, as they both try to survive life at sea while making a unique connection.

This tiger is a killer Wilson.

Based on the Man Booker Prize-winning book by Yann Martel, the story shifts between the retelling of older Pi (Irrfan Khan) with a writer (Rafe Spall) who says he will believe in God towards the end, and shipwrecked Pi (Suraj Sharma).

As a boy, Pi has been ridiculed for his name “Piscine Molitor,” named after a swimming pool in France. The kids at school call him “Pissing,” which ultimately makes him change his name to Pi (Pie). As he gets older, he loses the curiosity he once had as a boy and meets a beautiful dancer. However, when his father decides to leave the zoo and sell the animals, Pi must leave her for their journey to Canada.

While on their voyage, their ship unexpectedly sinks during a storm and only Pi survives. He’s then stranded in a lifeboat with an orangutan, a zebra, a hyena, and the unseen tiger named Richard Parker. Through these months at sea with inexplicable dangers, Pi’s faith in God is strengthening as he overcomes these battles by taming Richard.

Everything looks beautiful in this film. Of course there is backstory, so it takes a while to get to the main point of the film. But when you walk in and sit down, it’s as if you’ve been given kaleidoscopic eyes; a witness to the creativity behind this masterpiece. The graphics are just mesmerizing. It’s a fact.

This film focuses on the principle of storytelling, conveying various emotions as well as the fear of being alone at the hands of nature. Lee’s artistry is pure talent. You will feel something for Pi and Richard. Their relationship shifts from a man vs. wild to a man vs. friend.

Go see Life of Pi if you haven’t. It’s a long, but rich film and a good reason to head to theaters.