4.5 / 5
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SLUMDOG MILLIONAIRE
4.5 / 5 |
Danny Boyle, the famous of director of such classics as 'Trainspotting' and '28 Days Later', has done it again, by creating a film that has been an instant success across the planet, already winning four Golden Globes. Based on the novel, 'Q&A' by Vikas Swarup and adpated by screenwriter Simon Beaufoy (Full Monty), comes a film which has people talking about it on every corner in every country.
When I first heard of the film, the quick synopsis that was given to me was; "A kid from the slums of India goes onto the 'Who Wants To Be A Millionaire?' TV show and wins". Immediately alarm bells went off in my head thinking, "hey, hasn't this been done before?" Charlie, the chocolate factory, Willy Wonka and the golden ticket is one fairly similar example. Therefore I went in to this film knowing i'd probably like it, expecting it's probably just got some great comedy to back it up, but I can honestly say I did not expect what I was about to see.
Slumdog Millionaire is the story of one day in the life of Jamal Malik, an 18 year-old orphan from the slums of Mumbai in India. The film is about everything he has experienced in his life time, and how it has prepared him for this one moment where he finds himself just one question away from winning a staggering 20 million Rupees on India's "Who Wants To Be A Millionaire?". Of course, being a kid from the slums, is it questioned, how can he know all the answers? But it is his experiences in life, that no one else can understand, which have lead him to know the things he knows. What Jamal calls, destiny. But Jamal isn't on this show for the money, in fact he has absolutely no interest in being a millionaire. He only does it to try and find his lost love, an orphan girl named Latika, with whom he grew up with. Sounds like a lump cheese alright! But believe me, it is the most heart warming movie I have seen in a long time, without feeling the stench of mature parmesan cheesiness.
Jamal and Latika are played by Dev Patel (most famous as Anwar in the UK hit TV series, Skins) and Freida Pinto. They are the freshest faces to cross the big screen. so fresh in fact, this was both their first ever film! A director with a resumŽ like Danny Boyle took a risk with absolute newcomers, but it doesn't come across in the film. It comes as a massive breath of sorely needed fresh air to the movie industry. From the way it was shot, to the story and its actors, it just simply stands out from any film out there at the moment. With India's Bollywood film industry churning out more films a year than the dominant Hollywood, Boyle took advantage and hired most of his cast from Bollywood. But unlike most of the studio shot Bollywood films, Boyle took a different approach to filming Slumdog Millionaire, and was shot on the streets of Mumbai, capturing and bringing every inch of the high energy and fast paced life that India has to offer.
At first, some of the angled shots and fast swirling camera movements can be somewhat hard to get used to, but you do and you understand why the movie is shot this way. Three quarters of the film is made up of flashes from different points in Jamal's life as he tells his story, but so many flashes can get a little tiresome towards the end of the film, but it doesn't stop you from wanting to watch every moment. You feel for Jamal every second of the way. It is a great film with an amazing soundtrack. Hands down, one of my new favourites. Recommended to everyone, of all ages.
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