Movie Review: Slumdog Millionaire

I watched Slumdog Millionaire this evening, a two hour movie, and now I want to tell you what I enjoyed about it most.

I had deliberately not read any other reviews on it, I wanted to make sure I didn’t know where the next corner would take me. Because I had no preconceptions about its story, I had no idea where it would begin nor end. All I had heard is that an Indian man wins the lottery!

Now I have watched this amazing movie, I have to say it was worth every minute of it. I’d like to watch it again, there’s so many moments of frantic activity.

Forewarning: If you have not yet seen ‘Slumdog Millionaire’:
Do NOT read onwards!

Below this screen-capture from the movie you can read my review:

When three children meet through unusual circumstances, it’s little wonder they form a tight bond that surpasses all the terrifying moments of their young lives. Whilst time and circumstance drag them apart, they are brought back together because the journey of one boy leads him to be a contestant in a game show.

After being wrongly-accused of cheating ten million rupee, Jamal K. Malik innocently divulges his life story and events up until the very moment he wins the lottery. It would seem that every part of his young life up to this moment has given him memories that allow him to correctly answer the questions in the lottery.

Through backward-slides into his life we discover the young love, dirty money, humorous toilet scenes, horrific crimes against children and glorious wonderment during the discovery of the world outside the slums. The roof of the trains travelling across the countryside allows two brothers to see their own world in a better light. We watch brothers growing up differently due to way they reacted during atrocities endured as children, yet remaining close because of their place in the world.

Because I don’t want to spoil the movie for you, I will speak of other components of the movie that make it enjoyable to view upon the big screen…

The music helped set the mood throughout the movie, yet befitted the genré and culture of the movie. The soundtrack flowed nicely and tied in with each scene. To my ears, some music sounded like a relaxation tape with a rhythmic dance tempo with moments of fast staccato action that enabled the cameraman to jump from future-to-past and back again, all whilst your mind captured the colour of the city and madness of the moment.

The morals and message started from the beginning, but slowly built to a climax throughout the movie, bringing us to the moment we all expected, but were not too sure how or if any characters were going to survive the treacherous fate that had befallen them.

Like every good movie, the romance reminded us that nobody is immune from love. Whether it be the love of a beautiful woman, a bath-tub of money or the allure of fame, we all are attracted to the possibility like moths to a flickering globe.

The incredible cinematography certainly kept me entranced throughout the movie. I began writing this review early on in the movie, hoping I could capture the moment and continue watching. But it was like a good book; I couldn’t stop reading (the subtitles) and watching the ever flowing action and scenery for sleep nor drink, I eventually had to watch it right through before commencing this article

For me, the entire movie was poignant, romantic, surreal and moralistic. Every character plays an important role in the delivery of the story. If you don’t get it, you never will. And it doesn’t gloss over the slums of India, nor the internal turmoil from the politics down.

This is more than just a winner in the box-office, it’s pulls on the hearts-strings and opens the minds of people who want to see justice, value and childhood-innocence succeed in a very busy world.

Rating? 10/10. Without a doubt.

The fact that I could instantly relate it to another of my personal favourite movies that also starts at the young and malleable age of children, City of God, means it will be remembered for years ahead. This movie is now in my top ten! I hope you like it as much. If you haven’t yet seen it, I heavily encourage you to step outside your comfort zone to see it.