Entertaining, but with no surprises.

Rating: 7/10 (25 February 2009)

*spoilers* When I saw this in the cinema, I saw the movie's poster and thought: Oh my God, this is going to suck; But I was pleasantly surprised (dear Danny Boyle, fire your art department). What I got was a fast paced drama about growing up and trying to survive in the slums of India. I very much enjoyed it; the acting and direction was of a high calibre and despite the rather overdone & odd ending, I have no complaints. But to give it as many Oscars as Gone With the Wind is verging on Blasphemy! I mean, the ending was your usual feel-good romp, with the brother of the main character filling a tub with money then getting shot in it, before shouting "god is great!" (don't ask), then straight after we get an impromptu dance sequence for the credits, which was rather stupid.
My second point is that it's a movie dressed as a film. People say it's original and groundbreaking, but one watching of CITY OF GOD will show you where they got the "originality". It has the same mood and atmosphere, and could have well been its enjoyable sequel...