Don't believe the hype!

Rating: 6/10 (26 December 2008)

While "Slumdog Millionaire" features amiable characters - one really cares about the three little kids - its story is not very original. There are no real surprises in this movie, which is - for me - Danny Boyles weakest outing. "Shallow Grave", "Trainspotting", "The Island", "28 Days Later" and "Sunshine" were much stronger movies - visually richer, better paced and more entertaining - in every aspect. Wanna see a real good movie about slums? Watch "City of God"! The main problem of "Slumdog Millionaire" is its weak script, which doesn't offer a single scene one hasn't seen in other variations before. Killing off the interesting villain ("Maman") in the first hour of the movie, only to replace him with a totally cliché gangster boss in the second hour, was also not a very sound decision.