--Written by Ross Williams--
--From: What I Watched Last Night (http://whatiwatchedlastnight.blogspot.com)--
On the other hand, this is one of the best-directed films I've seen all year; ‘Slumdog's kinetic energy and head-long first half features some of the most memorable movie images of the year, as Boyle transplants the viewer into the slums of a previously unseen portion of India with a master’s hand. This isn't completely unexpected however, as Boyle's films have always had a tendency to appeal to me more as visual feasts than anything else (see the gorgeously photographed, but emotionally vacuous “Sunshine” for a prime example). Although “Slumdog Millionaire” is consistently watchable, it doesn't have enough dimensionality for me to put my heart in to it fully. The ending exemplifies this fact most readily, as it is just too easily predictable, even for an ending that is supposed to be predictable.
The success of this film will undoubtedly vary from viewer to viewer, based mainly on the ability to lose oneself in the narrative. Personally, the story didn’t sweep me up in its furious rush as it seems to have already done to so many who’ve seen it. Perhaps I’m delving too deep into a film that prides itself on youthful exuberance and naiveté, but I can’t help but think that the movie would be stronger as a whole if the drama wasn’t so predictably plotted. On a strictly cerebral level though, “Slumdog Millionaire” is an often times wonderful conflation of intense images and breakneck energy.
LAST WORD: “Works less on an emotional level and more on a cerebral one as a conflation of intense images and breakneck energy.”
==Written by Jordan Cronk==
==From: In Review Online (www.inreviewonline.com)==
Slumdog Millionaire tells the story of an impoverished Indian teen called Jamal Malik, who manages to be a contestant on the Indian version of Who Wants to be A Millionaire and because he gets so many questions right he is suspected of cheating and is then interrogated about it.
Although set in India, the film is in English most of the time, so subtitle-phobes need not fret. In saying that, there's a fair amount, particularly in the film's first 45 minutes or so, where the dialogue is in Hindi but even then Boyle makes sure to keep in mind any English speaking audiences who don't want to simply read on-screen what is being said (which needs to change). He keeps the subtitles colourful and playful, keeps them darting about the screen to make sure you're paying attention to them (kind of resembling the way it was done in the Night/Day Watch series). This fun element is reminiscent of the film as a whole; although certainly serious and quite heavy in places, the pace is always swift and exciting, and the look kept vibrant, keeping it feeling like it's on the move almost all the time and it never wallows too long in something that doesn't at least resemble positivity.
The film employs a storytelling technique that has rarely been done before. Jamal is being interrogated from the outset of the film (including some use of electricity torture, an element that undoubtedly got the film a 15 rating, or an R in the US) about whether or not he cheated. It then cuts to him being asked one of the questions but before he gives the answer, it cuts to a part of his past which shows us how he came to know the answer, for example what one of the Indian Gods is always shown holding in its right hand or who starred in a certain famous Indian film. This narrative technique is employed throughout the whole film. It may sound a bit repetitive but it works well, not least because it's something not really seen before in cinema.
The strength of Slumdog Millionaire doesn't simply lie in the tense question and answer segments on the game show (although those are wholly engrossing to watch) but in the witnessing of Jamal's past. The film celebrates the experiences it's possible to have in life, what it's possible for a single person to go through, and Simon Beaufoy's (The Full Monty) screenplay allows the story plenty of room to breathe to accommodate the ambition of it. Jamal experiences everything from living in an impoverished area, to being held captive by a man who wants to make money off of him from begging in the streets to searching for the one he loves. And all the while there's this brisk, playful pace to it all that helps the two hour runtime absolutely fly by.
Boyle does a a great job of bringing out impressive performances from what are mostly unknown actors. Dev Patel (I'll be surprised if he doesn't garner some award nominations for his performance) is likable and someone we can really root for, Freida Pinto is beautiful and pleasantly diverting as Jamal's love Latika, and the kids playing them and many others when they're younger put in really quite extraordinary performances considering their age and inexperience. All across the board from the unknowns to people like Irrfan Khan (who plays the police officer who interrogates Jamal) to Anil Kapoor (who's extremely famous in India) are simply superb.
The real story of Slumdog Millionaire is not Jamal trying to win money on a quiz show but his quest to be with his beloved Latika. If the story were in the hands of someone else than Boyle the mandatory happy ending would be easy to see coming, but Boyle is more unconventional than that. He's never been about sticking to what's expected from a story; here he hints at what you're expecting to happen by flashing images on screen during the first few minutes but throws several curve balls at the audience later that sway what you think will happen several times. By the end it really does feel like it could go either way — the sought after happy ending or the dreaded downer. And that's the beauty of the film; it tells a moving, engrossing, fascinating story but in the most unconventional of ways, all the while accompanied by beautiful cinematography, unique location work, and an expertly chosen soundtrack.
There are films which are impressive technically but leave you to watch from a few steps removed and then there are those which add to that by involving and engrossing you in a story, making you go along with it through its ups and downs. Slumdog Millionaire is a case of the latter. It's a film that could be viewed from many angles: a romance, a thriller, a drama, and at times all of those. It has all the highs and subsequent lows that audiences crave from this type of film, and thus should prove popular with audiences looking to experience a slice of life and culture different from their own. You simply can never underestimate the power of a truly humanistic, life-affirming story.
==Written by Ross Miller== ==From: Movie World (www.movie-world.moonfruit.com)==
Running parallel with this dark yet irresistible adventure, told in flashback vignettes, is the almost inexplicable sight of Jamal winning every challenge on "Who Wants to Be a Millionaire?," a strong showing that leads to a vicious police interrogation. As Jamal explains how he knows the answer to every question on the show as the result of harsh events in his knockabout life, the chaos of his existence gains shape, perspective and soulfulness. The film's violence is offset by a mesmerizing exotica shot and edited with a great whoosh of vitality. Boyle successfully sells the story's most unlikely elements with nods to literary and cinematic conventions that touch an audience's heart more than its head. --Tom Keogh
Beyond Slumdog Millionaire on Blu-ray
![]() Little Miss Sunshine | ![]() Rachel Getting Married | ![]() The Visitor |
Stills from Slumdog Millionaire (Click for larger image)
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Laufzeit:
102
DVD-Region:
1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6
Disc-Typ:
DVD
Seitenverhältnis:
16:9
Videoformat:
MPEG-2
Kindersicherung:
1
Videosignal:
PAL
Layers:
1
Untertitel:
Portuguese (Brazil)
Soundmix:
Dolby Digital









Rezensiert von: BigMan3 Hinzugefügt am 01/18/2010 2010/01/18
I thought this was a very touching movie, that gave a deeper look into the possible real lives of the real people of India. It was very touching to see real love for someone to the bitter in. If you have'nt seen this movie, please do and you will not be disappointed....
Rezensiert von: csatari.istvan@upcmail.hu Hinzugefügt am 03/02/2009 2009/03/02
Slumdog Millioner
Rezensiert von: rodrigo01mx@yahoo.com.mx Hinzugefügt am 02/26/2009 2009/02/26
Slumdog Millionaire comes to us courtesy of Danny Boyle, who as a director seems to be able to go from genre to genre with ease. The majority of his films are really quite different from each other: Shallow Grave was a tense thriller, Trainspotting, probably his most well known film, was a gritty drama/dark comedy, 28 Days Later was a tremendously unnerving horror, Millions was cute and sentimental, Sunshine was a visually stunning sci-fi flick, and now he's arrived at an enriching, uplifting drama. And it may just be his best yet, a film that celebrates love and the experiences of life; a vibrant, swiftly paced, full of life tale that's an utter joy to watch. Slumdog Millionaire tells the story of an impoverished Indian teen called Jamal Malik, who manages to be a contestant on the Indian version of Who Wants to be A Millionaire and because he gets so many questions right he is suspected of cheating and is then interrogated about it. Although set in India, the film is in English most of the time, so subtitle-phobes need not fret. In saying that, there's a fair amount, particularly in the film's first 45 minutes or so, where the dialogue is in Hindi but even then Boyle makes sure to keep in mind any English speaking audiences who don't want to simply read on-screen what is being said (which needs to change). He keeps the subtitles colourful and playful, keeps them darting about the screen to make sure you're paying attention to them (kind of resembling the way it was done in the Night/Day Watch series). This fun element is reminiscent of the film as a whole; although certainly serious and quite heavy in places, the pace is always swift and exciting, and the look kept vibrant, keeping it feeling like it's on the move almost all the time and it never wallows too long in something that doesn't at least resemble positivity. The film employs a storytelling technique that has rarely been done before. Jamal is being interrogated from the outset of the film (including some use of electricity torture, an element that undoubtedly got the film a 15 rating, or an R in the US) about whether or not he cheated. It then cuts to him being asked one of the questions but before he gives the answer, it cuts to a part of his past which shows us how he came to know the answer, for example what one of the Indian Gods is always shown holding in its right hand or who starred in a certain famous Indian film. This narrative technique is employed throughout the whole film. It may sound a bit repetitive but it works well, not least because it's something not really seen before in cinema. The strength of Slumdog Millionaire doesn't simply lie in the tense question and answer segments on the game show (although those are wholly engrossing to watch) but in the witnessing of Jamal's past. The film celebrates the experiences it's possible to have in life, what it's possible for a single person to go through, and Simon Beaufoy's (The Full Monty) screenplay allows the story plenty of room to breathe to accommodate the ambition of it. Jamal experiences everything from living in an impoverished area, to being held captive by a man who wants to make money off of him from begging in the streets to searching for the one he loves. And all the while there's this brisk, playful pace to it all that helps the two hour runtime absolutely fly by. Boyle does a a great job of bringing out impressive performances from what are mostly unknown actors. Dev Patel (I'll be surprised if he doesn't garner some award nominations for his performance) is likable and someone we can really root for, Freida Pinto is beautiful and pleasantly diverting as Jamal's love Latika, and the kids playing them and many others when they're younger put in really quite extraordinary performances considering their age and inexperience. All across the board from the unknowns to people like Irrfan Khan (who plays the police officer who interrogates Jamal) to Anil Kapoor (who's extremely famous in India) are simply superb. The real story of Slumdog Millionaire is not Jamal trying to win money on a quiz show but his quest to be with his beloved Latika. If the story were in the hands of someone else than Boyle the mandatory happy ending would be easy to see coming, but Boyle is more unconventional than that. He's never been about sticking to what's expected from a story; here he hints at what you're expecting to happen by flashing images on screen during the first few minutes but throws several curve balls at the audience later that sway what you think will happen several times. By the end it really does feel like it could go either way — the sought after happy ending or the dreaded downer. And that's the beauty of the film; it tells a moving, engrossing, fascinating story but in the most unconventional of ways, all the while accompanied by beautiful cinematography, unique location work, and an expertly chosen soundtrack. There are films which are impressive technically but leave you to watch from a few steps removed and then there are those which add to that by involving and engrossing you in a story, making you go along with it through its ups and downs. Slumdog Millionaire is a case of the latter. It's a film that could be viewed from many angles: a romance, a thriller, a drama, and at times all of those. It has all the highs and subsequent lows that audiences crave from this type of film, and thus should prove popular with audiences looking to experience a slice of life and culture different from their own. You simply can never underestimate the power of a truly humanistic, life-affirming story.