Jamil is a contestant on Who Wants To Be A Millionaire and has only one question to answer to get the big jackpot. Problem is, Jamil was raised in the slums of Mumbai with no education, so he is accused of cheating. He explains how he comes to know the answers, which charts the progress of his life.
Not so much a smash hit, more of a phenomenon, Slumdog Millionaire is huge, both with the critics and public alike. Ladled with oscars and plenty of bums on seats, the big question is: Is it any good? Actually, given the plaudits and business it has received, the question should really be: Is it as good as they say it is? Well the answer for me was, yes, it's a great film but it ain't going to change anyone's life. The framework that the story hangs off, being told through the questions of WWTBAM and how he knows the answer is brilliant, and it's this simple cinematic trick that makes the film what it is. There's lots of humour, lots of heartbreak and plenty of fantastic cinematography to go along with a mainly excellent soundtrack. Jamil is played by three actors to cover the age range, but Dev Patel is the main Jamil. Unfortunately he gives a so-so performance, shining only occasionally. He unfortunately knows little of pauses and timing. A minor quibble and it hardly gets in the way. I felt the ending was slightly blahhh although I can almost hear the cheers of delight from audiences around the world receive their totally expected outcome.
Given how highly this is rated, I did expect something less than what I got. A thoroughly entertaining 2 hours nonetheless.
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
No comments:
Post a Comment