The part with the carnivorous island was creepy. The scene where he found the teeth tweaked me out. :shock:
As for humor, I loved the taped interview with the two Japanese men. That whole interaction was hilarious- they obviously thought Pi was completely off his rocker (and even said so, privately, quite a number of times), and he just kept stringing them along. And asking for more food.
So, I'm sure the one question everyone's going to want to discuss is, which story was true? The one with the animals or without the animals?
I'd have to say I believe the story with the animals. Pi only told the other one after Mr. Okomoto and Mr. Chiba practically forced him to, and it was told much more straight-forwardly, with much less emotion (which, again, is what the interviewers asked for). I would find it odd that he'd be able to speak of such horrible, awful things (such as his mother's severed head being thrown at him- another scene that squicked me out) with such composure if they had really happened.
However, I
can think of several things that might explain his telling of the elaborate story with the animals, if the second story was in fact the true one.
He could have made up the Richard Parker story while still lost at sea, to keep himself from going insane. If the second story were true, it no doubt would have kept his mind occupied to spin such a tale.
Also, I find it very interesting that each character in the first story corresponds to a character in the second story. Like the interviewers figure out, Pi corresponds to the tiger. Maybe, while out alone at sea for 225 days (eh, I think that was the number- it was in that range, at any rate), he sort of developed this wild, unpredictable alter ego. I'm not talking split personalities or anything, but maybe he got so lonely that, in addition to spinning the fantastic tale that he later told his interviewers, he had to create
somebody to talk to, even somebody that wouldn't necessarily talk back. Growing up in a zoo, an animal would be a natural choice, and that way, he himself could still be the leader, the one in charge of everything. The 'tiger' could just be a companion. That would also account for why Richard Parker just up and left the moment they reached land. Pi didn't need that side of him anymore. He was alive, he was safe, and he was among people- he could fully be himself, and only himself, again.
Okay, impromptu pop psychology done.
I still choose believe the story with the animals, though. :razz: