Slumdog Millionaire on Blu-ray Disc Review
By Rachel Cericola
The Film
In case you were living under a rock this year, there was a small film called
Slumdog Millionaire, which became a cinematic sensation. Since it took home eight out of the 10 Academy Awards it was nominated for this year, you sort of know what you are getting into quality-wise. Still, it is completely overwhelming to see how good this film really is.
Jamal Malik (Dev Patel) is the luckiest guy in the world -- sort of. The young man is just one question away from winning India's version of
Who Wants To Be a Millionaire? While that seems like a dream come true, it comes with pain -- both past and present. See, the host is no Regis. Instead, he has Jamal arrested, accusing him of cheating. During his defense, we find out about his incredibly difficult, sad past, which includes getting orphaned with his brother and a girl named Latika (Freida Pinto), who is destined to become the love of his life.
We're happy to say that for once, you can believe all of the hype. There are many noteworthy performances. Pinto is gorgeous and the kids know how to pluck those heartstrings, but it's Patel who steals this show. It's not going to change your life, but
Slumdog Millionaire will take you on a 2-hour emotional rollercoaster. Director Danny Boyle (
Trainspotting) keeps things moving at a fast and sometimes frantic pace, with tons of flashes of Indian life, which is both good and downright frightening.
Need to know more about the movie? Check out David Kempler's theatrical review of
Slumdog Millionaire.
The Picture
This is the little engine that took off like a big Hollywood rocket. With a budget of $15 million, though, it's still a good old indie in our book. However, it's also an Oscar winner, and the 2.35:1 transfer shines as such. Despite the fast pace, the detail is excellent. Also, there is a ton of color, most notably during the film's many flashback scenes. Just don't expect the bright lights and images of Bollywood; some of the imagery (the toilet scene, the burns on Latika's hands) offers up a bit more detail than you may want.
The Sound
If you look away, this film could be hard to follow. That's because Boyle uses a mix of English and Hindi (with subtitles). Both come across crystal-clear via the DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 track. However, there are plenty of other sounds to shake those surrounds, including many train and crowd scenes, the game show atmosphere, and the film's big Bollywood-styled A.R. Rahman soundtrack.
The Extras
For this runaway train, you'd think Fox would have laid it on thick with extras. However, they have kept this release fairly slim, possibly saving anything else for a double-dip down the road. The two worthy featurettes are the making-of pieces, which are both fairly typical. However, that Boyle is quite the character.
Final Thoughts
Slumdog Millionaire is a good movie. They don't give out those Oscars for nothing, you know. Fox didn't skimp on the Blu-ray either. The extras aren't the best we've seen, but the image and audio certainly match the film's quality. Whether you jumped on the bandwagon early or not, this film is worth the Blu-ray purchase.
Where to Buy:
Product Details
- Actors: Dev Patel, Freida Pinto, Madhur Mittal, Anil Kapoor, Irrfan Khan
- Director: Danny Boyle
- Audio/Languages: DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 (English), Dolby Digital 5.1 (French)
- Subtitles: English SDH, French, Spanish
- Aspect Ratio: 2.35:1
- Region: A
- Number of Discs: 2
- Rating: R
- Studio: 20th Century Fox
- Blu-ray Disc Release Date: March 31, 2009
- Run Time: 121 minutes
- List Price: $39.99
- Extras:
- Commentary by Director Danny Boyle and Actor Dev Patel
- Commentary by Producer Christian Colson and Writer Simon Beaufoy
- Deleted Scenes
- Slumdog Dreams: Danny Boyle & The Making of Slumdog Millionaire
- Slumdog Cutdown
- From Script to Screen: Toilet Scene
- Indian Short Film: Manjha
- "Bombay Liquid Dance" Music Video
- Theatrical Trailer
- European Theatrical Trailer
- Digital Copy
