Slumdog Millionaire [Blu-ray] Best Review
Slumdog Millionaire tells the story of Jamal, his brother Silam, and Latika. All three children are orphaned in an attack on the Mumbai slum in which they live. They join forces to lead an adventurous, poverty-stricken life. Jamal and Silam become separated from Lakita in the midst of a daring escape from a gangster. For years thereafter, Jamal searches for Lakita. He finds her years later, only to be separated from her again.
In desperation, Jamal manages to land a spot as a contestant on the Indian version of "Who Wants to Be a Millionaire?", hoping aginst hope that Latika will be watching so they can be reunited. In a twist of destiny, Jamal discovers that, due to the unique experiences growing up in the slums, he knows the answer to question after question.
Though there are definitely some very difficult parts of this movie to watch (especially at the beginning, when the primary characters are helpless children, prey to the unsavory environments that surround them), the film is ultimately uplifting. A marvel of casting, to boot, as a gifted actor portrays each of the princpal characters in different stages of life.
Sooooo worth seeing. I really loved it!
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Slumdog Millionaire [Blu-ray] Feature
- ISBN13: 0024543574514
- Condition: NEW
- Notes: Brand New from Publisher. No Remainder Mark.
Slumdog Millionaire [Blu-ray] Overview
SLUMDOG MILLIONAIRE is the story of Jamal Malik, an 18 year-old orphan from the slums of Mumbai, who is about to experience the biggest day of his life. With the whole nation watching, he is just one question away from winning a staggering 20 million rupees on India's "Who Wants To Be A Millionaire?" But when the show breaks for the night, police arrest him on suspicion of cheating; how could a street kid know so much? Desperate to prove his innocence, Jamal tells the story of his life in the slum where he and his brother grew up, of their adventures together on the road, of vicious encounters with local gangs, and of Latika, the girl he loved and lost. Each chapter of his story reveals the key to the answer to one of the game show's questions. Intrigued by Jamal's story, the jaded Police Inspector begins to wonder what a young man with no apparent desire for riches is really doing on this game show? When the new day dawns and Jamal returns to answer the final question, the Inspector and sixty million viewers are about to find out.
Slumdog Millionaire [Blu-ray] Specifications
Danny Boyle (
Sunshine) directed this wildly energetic, Dickensian drama about the desultory life and times of an Indian boy whose bleak, formative experiences lead to an appearance on his country's version of "Who Wants to Be a Millionaire?" Jamal (played as a young man by Dev Patel) and his brother are orphaned as children, raising themselves in various slums and crime-ridden neighorhoods and falling in, for a while, with a monstrous gang exploiting children as beggars and prostitutes. Driven by his love for Latika (Freida Pinto), Jamal, while a teen, later goes on a journey to rescue her from the gang's clutches, only to lose her again to another oppressive fate as the lover of a notorious gangster.
Running parallel with this dark yet irresistible adventure, told in flashback vignettes, is the almost inexplicable sight of Jamal winning every challenge on "Who Wants to Be a Millionaire?," a strong showing that leads to a vicious police interrogation. As Jamal explains how he knows the answer to every question on the show as the result of harsh events in his knockabout life, the chaos of his existence gains shape, perspective and soulfulness. The film's violence is offset by a mesmerizing exotica shot and edited with a great whoosh of vitality. Boyle successfully sells the story's most unlikely elements with nods to literary and cinematic conventions that touch an audience's heart more than its head. --Tom Keogh
Stills from Slumdog Millionaire (Click for larger image)
Customer Reviews
Not quite out of the slums yet... - Andrew Ellington - Mulholland Drive
It seemed that about mid-year, 2008, the entire world (at least the cinematic world) caught a serious case of Slumdog Fever and soon the critics bodies and big prestigious awards bodies followed suit, handing over a near complete sweep of awards to a small yet bountiful film entitled `Slumdog Millionaire', a project that was probably on no ones radar and yet proved to be on everyone's minds. Looking back on the film (and recently revisiting it) I have to say that I'm still somewhat baffled by the rapturous applause this film received.
I said somewhat.
Personally, I have never seen a film that was so over-thought and yet simultaneous so under-thought as `Slumdog Millionaire'. For a film that prides itself in telling elaborate stories to add layers to a humble `slumdogs' apparent knowledge (a young boy actually wades through fecal mater for an autograph), this film all but seems to stop thinking completely in parts where it truly matters (like wrapping up a sloppy ending with a rather unlikely love story). The film had a nice concept, but the script is poorly realized and comes off unnecessary and actually quite choppy in the end.
Not for a lack of trying though.
There are many elements in play here, but the film doesn't know how to tie them all together cohesively. It is almost like the `gameshow' aspect of the film was an afterthought, something used to connect the dots when instead it actually serves as a distraction. Yes, I know that this is adapted from a novel; I'm just stating how the tone of the film came across to me, especially in the end, as the film is tying up lose ends.
I kind of have to applaud Danny Boyle here, and so I'll stop my critique to offer a slice of appreciation for the director behind this uneven offering. Boyle is a director that I really admire and respect. I have seen a number of his films, and what I love so much about him is that he is a director who will try anything and will adapt to any subject. He is hard to pigeonhole because his vision is not tied down to one specific theme. He has a masterful way of creating imagery that is honest and raw without losing a slice of humor that sets the tone of his films apart. As a directorial effort, I can see a lot of thought in `Slumdog Millionaire'. I don't think that his efforts were entirely successful (obviously) but I can see flourishes of greatness here. I'm so elated that he has an Oscar, but I'm saddened at the same time because it came for (arguably) his weakest work.
Where was Oscar in '03, when he delivered the brilliant '28 Days Later'? Where were they in '05 when he stunned with his touching yet original `Millions'? What about his shocking sophomore film in '96, `Trainspotting'?
Alas...
`Slumdog Millionaire' follows young Jamal as he nears the home stretch of India's version of `Who Wants to Be a Millionaire'. The film begins with an interrogation where he is being accused of cheating. The film then jumps back and forth between his moments on the show, his interrogation and his childhood as he explains to the cops how he knows all the answers. At times the films explanation of things can be pretty smart, other times they are fairly lazy. That is what I mean by uneven; over-thought and under-thought. The ending itself is shamefully under-thought. The entire `Jamal/Latika' love story is seriously under-thought. The character development feels like an afterthought. The development of Salim alone is disgusting. I have never really encountered a more vile character in recent cinema, and yet for some reason I'm not supposed to feel this way. The film offers no real development to persuade me in the desired direction. In fact, I can't decide if my smile at the films end had to do with what happened on the gameshow or in the bathtub.
The acting was decent, but nothing (and I mean NOTHING) to write home about. Dev Patel was bland beyond words, and Freida Pinto was barely used (but effective). The real standout here was Anil Kapoor, who evoked more emotional commitment than any actor in the film. The young actors were well used, especially Ayush Mahesh Khedekar, who played young Jamal.
I won't lie; I enjoyed this film, I was just disappointed. For a film with such promise, `Slumdog Millionaire' easily finds itself suffering from generic clichés that haunt many films. I expected more from Boyle. I expected a film with this much praise to rise above those stereotypes and formulate something fresh and original. The characters feel like skeletal variations (as in `lacking detail') of many other characters from many other movies. In then end, I was smiling but when the confetti cleared I was left pondering just how much better this movie really could have been.
And is it just me or was the ending credits nosedive into music video edited `You Got Served' territory totally fun yet tremendously cheap feeling?
Good film but not great or worth all the hype! - jesus4me - MD USA
After all this time, I finally decided to rent Slumdog Millionaire to see what the hype was all about. It got such rave reviews and awards at the Oscars I figured this had to be a fabulous film by far. To my surprise the film was rather violent and showed abuse and exploitation of children. I guess this was a touch of realism of the happenings in poor villages. Anyhow, the story is a bit depressinig and sad, however, the only uplifting part is Jamal's undying love for Letita whom he knew briefly as a little boy, got separated from, and despreately sought to find throughout the rest of the movie. The story has many holes in it and leaves you wondering what happened here and there. I thought the flashbacks to how Jamal came to know the answers to some of the questions on the game show was a pretty creative idea. I never understood why they thought he was cheating or how they could legally get away with torturing him for such an accusation. The most a game show would do if you cheated is to take back the winnings!! Not shock you with electrical currents and hang you from a wall!! That part made no sense. He was sitting in the hosts face the whole time...how could he cheat?? I just wish the love story was built up more since a good portion of the film showed Jamal searching for this girl. Also, I wish they would have shown what he did once he won all that money. Again, the film was good but I don't see what the massive hype was about. I've seen better films that got torn down by the Oscars. I have no idea what their criteria is!
Story, Story, Story - Mark Cunningham - Warren County, MO
This film is proof positive that a critically acclaimed, highly successful movie does not require big name stars, state of the art special effects, or grand scale death and mayhem. It simply needs a compelling story told in an entertaining way and Slumdog delivers. Slumdog speaks to the human condition; to love lost and won, to the triumph of good over evil, and to perservence rather than surrender. A great story that we can watch again and again and enjoy it more fully each time.
Scratched disk - Alexa Herrera -
Shipment was fast. However, the disk was scratched and the movie started skipping in 2 different parts when played. Tried to clean it but it still skipped...
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