Slumdog Millionaire has had many outstanding reviews and has won bucketloads of awards. Everyone I have spoken to who has seen the film has praised it.
So, why did I not think much of it? It was okay. Oscar worthy; BAFTA worthy. Um. It was the political choice and the hype machine rolled along very nicely. But it isn't a great film. I appreciate that it was low budget, but visually there was nothing notable about it. And the sudden segues into slow motion were just bizarre in a drama. They were the kind of slow mo shots you would see in an art film or an action film. The acting was okay, but nothing special. The social issues didn't tug at my heartstrings or make me particularly care about what was going on. It was a passable way to spend a couple of hours, but no great shakes. The script was predictable and the split narrative apart didn't do anything worthwhile. The attempted manipulation of emotions was visible a mile off. I suppose it was a comfortable and safe depiction of events in India without having any content that would offend the masses.
For a gritty look at deprivation and similar issues you only have to watch City of God to see how average Slumdog was.
After Mamma Mia was the biggest grossing film in the UK in 2008 and now this being the most lauded one has to wonder what actually constitutes quality these days?
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