Did they see the same movie I saw?

Rating: 6/10 (27 December 2008)

Slumdog Millionaire, directed by Danny Boyle, is a fairy tale about the obstacles to true love amidst the poverty of India. As I write this review, the movie has an average rating of 8.6, putting it in the top 250 movies of all time. All I can ask is, "Why?"
The movie has its strengths--Dev Patel, the male lead, is a good actor, and Freida Pinto, the female lead, is a beautiful woman who acts well enough. The film shows graphic, repeated images of ghastly poverty. If one picture is worth a thousand words, imagine what this film would be worth.
Beyond those positive--or at least valuable--aspects, this film is mainly fantasy, interspersed with scenes of horrible violence, cruelty, and brutal torture. Don't go expecting a Bollywood production, and don't go expecting Cinderella, either. In fact, my advice would be, "Don't go at all."