Slumdog Millionare: A Review

It has been said that life is a series of moments. Some are fond, some are sad, and some you just wish you never experienced. However, those moments all teach us something and shape us into the person we become. This is the subject of the new critically acclaimed movie that came seemingly out of nowhere to become a top contender in the Oscar race: Slumdog Millionare. The story centers on the character of Jamel, a young Indian man, raised in the slums of Mumbai that becomes a contestant on the Indian version of Who Wants to be a Millionare? The film shows us how Jamel answers the questions by giving us flashbacks to his earlier life.

I will say this about the movie: never have I seen the real India depicted better than in a movie like this. We see both sides. If I say anymore I may ruin the movie, but I know people who have been to India and they told me that it is very much the way the film depicts it.

What I most enjoyed about this movie is that a group of basically unknown actors and a director who was willing to step outside the hollywood box worked so well together and made this amazing film. It's definitely in my top 5 films this year.

I give this movie 4 stars.

My rating system:

no stars: avoid this movie like the plague. Bleaching your eyes out would be a more fun experience.
half a star: not worth mentioning, but better than some.
1 star: bad, but not a total disaster.
1 and a half stars: Still pretty bad, but didn't get it all wrong
2 stars: had some minor flaws, but enough to make the movie uninteresting
2.5 stars: barely missed the mark
3 stars: go see it. Could have done much better, but still worth seeing
3.5 stars: Was a great movie, but had one little thing that was messed up
4 stars: a great movie that surpasses the norm and distinguishes itself from the rest.

Note: I don't believe in waiting for a movie to come out on DVD that you wouldn't see in theatres. If it's not worth seeing in theatres, it's not worth seeing at all.