Excellent movie - my final answer

Rating: 10/10 (18 January 2009)

If someone told me in January 2008 that a film about some street kid winning Who Wants to be a Millionaire, based on the novel Q&A, would be a front runner for all the major awards I would have laughed in their face, but here we are in January 2009 and that is exactly what has happened.
With Danny Boyle directing, we follow the story of Jamal, a teenager from the streets of Mumbai who has just won the Indian version of Who Wants to be a Millionaire. With the authorities not able to comprehend how Jamal could win the show and not scholars and doctors he is arrested and told to explain how he did it. The answer is simple - he just knows the answers.
We are then treated to a series of flashbacks starting from his early youth and working their way up to the present day, with each flashback intertwining and showing us how he came to know about the answer to the questions.
It is a beautifully shot film (right up there with Sunshine), with all the vibrant colours of India contrasting starkly with the brutal life of children trying to survive the streets.
Danny Boyle has always been skilled when it comes to soundtracks - who can forget the iconic "perfect day" scene in Trainspotting and here it is no different as Slumdog Millionaire is accompanied by a loud, banging, Bhangra soundtrack which fits in so well, especially tracks such as Paper Plane, Millionaire and OSaya (I have downloaded the soundtrack already!) The three main characters, Jamal, his brother Saleem and love Latika are all played by three separate actors, and you cannot fault any of them, especially the child actors who are just so absorbing to watch.
It is just a fantastic movie that more than lives up to its hype - it will be impossible not to leave the movie not feeling uplifted. 10/10 in every way and yes that is my final answer (no apologies for the pun).
It is also worth staying through the end credits were we are treated to an all singing all dancing Bollywood ending performed by the cast.