If you only watch one movie again for the rest of your existence on Earth, “Life of Pi” would be a fine choice.

Yeah, the movie is so good that I can say that and feel OK. That isn’t to say it is the greatest movie ever made; far from it actually, but the overall film has so much to offer I cannot advise anyone not to watch it.

The acting is great, and Irrfan Khan — who plays the adult Pi Patel — is probably going to get a supporting actor nod. The directing is good. The cinematography is wonderful. And the story, of the story, well, the story is why I love this movie so very much.

Sometimes a movie is able to invoke feeling in you. Not just the feelings of happiness or sadness, inspiration or fear, but stimulate your mind as well as your emotions. “Life of Pi” does just that.

The deeper meanings of religion, of who we are as people, of how terrible and beautiful life can be all at once is what the story evokes. Some folks will see flaws, due to the loss of many details in adapting it from the novel — a feat in and of itself — and even dislike the rather dramatic change to the ending, but I think it made the movie better than the book.

“Life of Pi” gets under your skin. It shows you beautiful and cute animals in the beginning, then takes everything from you with tragedy and death. The PG rating slapped on does make some of the animal violence a little lighter than it should be, but that hardly takes away from the movie, given the already very heavy survival theme.

All along the journey, you are given to pondering life itself. Somehow, that pondering does not drag you away from the movie; it is fully engrossing. The visuals and directing let you be a part of the story in a way that books allow you to create a theater in your mind.

I will gush about how deep the messages are throughout the film for years to come, and I invite everyone to see “Life of Pi” in theaters and again at home, even years down the line. Enjoy the story and how it touches you. Be certain to think about the obvious messages, and then still grant time to the many smaller messages — smaller, yet often not less profound — that occur or develop as a result of the primary plot offerings.

Go see it in theaters to take in the big screen and the delve into the human experience. Take a date, go by yourself, go with your friends, go with your family and watch it all again. “Life of Pi” is worth the time to invest in multiple viewings, and even the cost for a theater ticket.