Slumdog Millionaire - Best Picture Oscar is Well Deserved Here
Written: Feb 14 '09 (Updated Feb 15 '09)
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Product Rating:
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Pros: Unique, edge of your seat, moving.
Cons: Shaky start, subtitles go fast at time.
The Bottom Line: This movie is so different from the typical movies made by the studios. It was truly great.
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| deenaf's Full Review: Slumdog Millionaire |
I am sitting stunned by the magnificence of the film Slumdog Millionaire. This film, shown at first at indie film festivals, had a limited release here in the US in 2008 and a wider release this past January. It has won many industry awards thus far and has been nominated for ten Oscars.
Slumdog Millionaire is the intricate and compelling story of two orphaned boys, Salim and Jamal, growing up in the slums of India. They begin as mischievous young boys evading trouble and witness the death of their mom amongst great violence in the slums. They are forced to raise themselves and find themselves in life threatening, dangerous circumstances. As they flee the violence in Mumbai, they pick up another orphan, a girl named Latika.
SPOILER ALERT!!
Salim is the darker, more fierce brother, not afraid of anything and not afraid to do anything to keep him and his brother safe. He risks Latika’s life throughout the movie and becomes a corrupt man. Jamal, the more innocent brother, believes Latika is his soulmate and stops at nothing to continually rescue her.
This story is told through play of the famous gameshow, Who Wants to be a Millionaire. Jamal (in present day) is the contestant who, upon knowing all the answers, gets accused of cheating. He is aggressively interrogated all night long as to how he cheated and how it is possible for a slumdog (a child of the slums) to know all the answers. Sadly, but amazingly, he knows the answers from his life’s experiences. Ultimately, he’s released and returns for day 2 on the show.
Jamal’s life story is told in flashbacks recounting to the police how he came to know the show’s questions’ answers. For example, he knows who invented the revolver because his brother used one to kill attackers. He knows the answer to who wrote an ancient song because he’s forced to learn it in a militant camp as a child. His life’s journey is amazing and when told in this fashion, it creates edge of your seat action.
On the downside, the beginning of the movie is a bit convoluted. It begins after Jamal’s abduction from the show’s studio where he is then tortured. It is hard to read the subtitles at times and difficult to understand the dialogue. This all changes as you get a grasp of how the movie is unfolding.
There’s humor, violence, love, loyalty, trust, drama, and action in Slumdog Millionaire. It is one of the best movies I’ve ever seen. It’s beautifully told and perfectly acted. The story is uniquely designed and gripping in its telling. Once you get past the shaky start, you’ll fall in love with the characters and, after hating some of them, you will applaud them. Lastly, when you find out the reason WHY Jamal goes on the show, you will be touched. And it will tie the movie’s ends together and make you happy even after all the tragedy. An amazing movie.
Recommended:
Yes
Movie Mood: Serious Movie
Viewing Method: Other
Film Completeness: Looked complete to me.
Worst Part of this Film: Nothing
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Epinions.com ID:
deenaf
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Member: Deena
Location: Merrick, NY USA
Reviews written: 279
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Mother, wife, teacher..... aren't they all the same?
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