Slumdog Millionaire (2008)
February 22nd 2009 12:22 am
I have always been a fan of Danny Boyle: Shallow Grave was ace, Trainspotting was gripping, 28 Days Later… was astounding and Sunshine is one of my favourite films of the last few years. How does Slumdog Millionaire stand up to a pedigree like that? The answer is not too badly!
I went into this film expecting to be wowed and amazed. I had heard nothing but praise and am expecting it to be the big winner at the Oscars. However, with that much hype, how can it possibly live up to expectations? It was beautiful to look at; the slums of India came alive with lots of vibrant colours and people. It had a superb soundtrack that made my ears prick up when the first drum beat kicked in. I even noticed the editing in the film that was used perfectly to jump between the present and into history.
So, what’s it about? Basically (without giving too much away) it follows a man called Jamal on the Indian version of the gameshow Who Wants To Be A Millionaire? He is just a man from the slums but has got to the very last question and is now being interrogated by the police to find out how he is cheating. However, he claims he just knew all the answer and dredges up things from his past (mainly bad things) that show how.
That’s it in a nutshell. It follows him as a young boy trying to survive, up the a teenager trying to become a man and finally as an adult.
Unfortunately I couldn’t watch this film without thinking about City of God which is about growing up in the slums of Brazil. City of God knocked me off my feet whe I first saw it and is a much better film than Slumdog. While Slumdog adds a fresh twist to the slum-tale it still felt like it was the same underlying story being retold.
Judged on its own merits though it was a very good film and makes me look forward again to what Danny Boyle will give us next.
8/10
Linda responded on 23 Feb 2009 at 10:39 pm #
Well it was the best film I’ve seen for about a year. Uplifting, funny, great story line. Made even better by the fact that the main characters were played by relative unknowns. I laughed, and I cried throughout. When the little lad gets the photo, and he’s allcovered in..well, you know. Priceless. I tipped it for an oscar when I saw it last year and I was delighted it won against stiff opposition.
Danny Boyle accepting one of his oscars (I think it was for Best Director) in the spirit of Tigger will live with me for a while.