05 January 2009

See This Now

from The Village Voice
I saw Slumdog Millionaire last night and I was blown away. Everything you would expect from a movie was great in this film, such as the acting, etc. I don't mean to cheapen the talent on display, but three things about this movie stood out for me:

1. The energy - This movie is alive. There is an urgency that makes you feel what the characters are going through. Every one of your five senses will be stimulated while watching this, which is an incredible feat. The only other movie which comes to mind that stimulated the same reaction in me was The Bourne Supremacy. They are two very different movies, but both have a pulse that is undeniable. 

2. Love - In general, deep down, I'm a big softy. A hopeless romantic. I believe in love and how happy it can make you. Slumdog Millionaire has been added to my internal list of movies that affirm the magic of love and how, if you fight for it, love can overcome anything. Cliche alert! 

3. The soundtrack - I think this is inextricably tied to the "energy" I highlighted earlier. The music in this movie is amazing and gels so perfectly with what is happening on screen that the whole thing becomes one big experience. The work that M.I.A., AR Rahman, and others accomplish here is really awesome and satisfying. 

Slumdog Millionaire totally deserves all of the praise it's been getting. 

I also need to give a shout out to Danny Boyle, the director. I'm just amazed at how diverse his talent is, judging from the movies he's made. Trainspotting, 28 Days Later, Millions, Sunshine, and Slumdog Millionaire are all great movies, but they are all undeniably different. It's incredible how easily he shifts between genres and stories while still maintaining his consistent quality.

No comments: