cinemafiendee Review of Slumdog Millionaire

Slumdog Millionaire (2008)

'Slumdog Millionaire' is not Exactly Revolutionary.

[5/10 · 11 January 2009]

I don't know what about this feel-good flick is so much better than a film like 'Bend it Like Beckham' or 'Along Came Polly'. This award-winning film from Danny Boyle is trash even down to the dance/musical number during closing credits so tacky i will never forget. Every individual adaptation of an idea in the novel that Danny Boyle attempts falls through his fingers with the same distracting tilt-angles that 'Doubt' was so heavily criticized for. Believe it or not, somebody thought it a good idea to cast one of the actors from 'Skins', the British, teenage soap opera that recently finished its second season as the lead actor. There are some cute performances from the kids who play the main actor as a child growing up, but not anything like the child-actor performances in 'Babel', a film which most certainly didn't win best picture at the Oscars. 'Slumdog Millionaire' is a British film which focuses not on empathy with another culture but on trying to make India seem 'ethnic' or 'different'. His unnecessary speed, disorientating shots, ridiculous filters and lenses and random subtitles and characters that weave in and out of languages make white people think they're tasteful. Woody Allen did the same think in 'Vicky Christina Barcelona' by simply turning everything yellow (or 'Spanish' in Sundance-Film-Festival-lovers' terms if you know what i mean). There are several plot-holes in this, the "40th best film in the World of all time", but that's understandable as it is with any Hollywood flick. Danny Boyle seems to love taking other people's ideas and turning their own art into his own money as well as claiming as many awards he can for his supposed 'creativity'. The fact that 'Slumdog Millionaire' was already a cheesy, emotional and trashy novel with a readable hook, (Jamal is an Indian thinking back on his experiences as a 'Slumdog' which mean he knows the answers to the questions for 'Who Wants to be a Millionaire, winning him 20,000,000 Rupees) only means that Danny Boyle's job as a director was easier, and trust me, he fails. Perhaps 'Slumdog Millionaire' could have been a TV series with an episode for each question, and this film's weak acting, outrageous end-kiss and blatant symbolism may have been more in place. Well, Dev Patel (Jamal Malik) would have been anyway. This is not THAT bad a film. People just need to look farer and widen their minds. five out of ten. enjoy.