Review of Slumdog Millionaire (2008) by Stephen E — 16 Jul 2012

There's no sense in trying to deny that "Slumdog Millionaire" is a fantastically made motion picture. From beginning to end, it's technically accomplished and well-directed, which isn't hard to believe as Danny Boyle's films are always energetic and visually superb.

However, aside from how good-looking and well-choreographed it is, "Slumdog Millionaire" just isn't quite all it's cracked up to be. No matter how well Boyle disguises it, it's still just as predictable and contrived as the most basic of love stories, only it's missing many of the necessary elements needed to make us really care about any of the characters or the situations they're involved in.

Plus, the film's overall 'inspirational' message is blunted by exploitative and manipulative elements, and in the end, it's a lot less powerful than it could have and should have been.

I enjoyed "Slumdog Millionaire," but there's just a whole lot less in it than meets the eye.