Lion Lacks Roar

Rating: 6/10 (6 January 2018)

While I really wanted to like this movie, the second half was a but of a letdown. The first 45 minutes of this was absolutely stunning. The scenery, the acting, the atmosphere, everything. It all worked when our protagonist is the adorable little kid braving the elements of India. The minimalistic amount of dialogue just adds to the atmospheric isolation and loneliness of Saroo. Sunny Pawar was incredible in his role.
As soon as we jump forward to adulthood however, the movie begins to drag. Dev Patel does a great job as always, it's not his fault, it's just that the pacing is all over the place. We spend the majority of the second half of this movie messing around on Google Earth and watching Saroo isolate himself from friends and family. These scenes need to happen but they take far too long for my liking. You could cut 20 minutes out of this movie and it'd be a lot better. (Also, how he finds his home feels like BS to me. Randomly scrolling around and seeing some dirt crevices from space? How many of those must exist in India?)
The reunion scene with his mother was very touching. I don't care if you think this is Oscar bait or not, that should tug at your heartstrings. It was really the only part of that last hour I enjoyed.
How Nicole Kidman got an Oscar nomination for this is beyond me. She's fine in her role but she doesn't do anything! I feel like the Academy felt this thing needed more nominations and threw one her way for that reason and that reason alone.
While this is a great and triumphant story, it's not an Oscar-caliber movie. It's an enjoyable watch and the first half is brilliant but the entire thing collapses down the backstretch.