Review of Slumdog Millionaire (2008) by Kourosh S — 29 Nov 2015

Slumdog Millionaire was the best picture winner in 2009. It tells the story of Jamal Malik (Dev Patel) a contestant on the Indian version of Who Wants To Be a Millionaire?. He is one question away from the grand prize when he is arrested for cheating. He then explains to the police how his hard and complicated life gave him the answers and how it is all leading him to finding his destiny.

Things I Liked:

Dev Patel. Patel is a fantastic actor and his performance in this is proof of that. He carries himself with all this loss and pain and weight of someone who has grown up in hardship and has constantly been forced to fight for everything in his life. He holds his own, especially for being 18 when the movie was made.

The Structure. The way they set up the story and move from moment to moment is very interesting and unique.The movie has a trivia question happen, and then shows how Jamal knows the answer through a flashback. It really makes the movie much more interesting and helps focus on specific moments in Jamal's life.

Things I Didn't Like:

The Plot. The movie's plot is structured in such a way that it doesn't really get to fruition for a majority of the movie and it really ends with some very generic and uninteresting moments. And it feels forgettable even during the process of watching the movie. It's a fine and simple story but nothing special.

Overall:

Overall the movie is fine and interesting but it falls short of fantastic. It has a unique way of story telling and strong lead performance but it falls short of leaping off the screen and making a lasting impression. I found the movie good but not great and it is not one I am clamoring to go back and see again in the near future.