Slumdog Millionaire 2-Disc Set, Blu-ray, (2009 originally released 2008)
Starring: Dev Patel, Freida Pinto, Madhur Mittal, Anil Kapoor, Irrfan Khan
Director: Danny Boyle
Studio: Fox Home Entertainment 2257451[Release date: Mar. 31, 09]
Video: 2.35:1 anamorphic/enhanced for 16:9 color 1080p HD
Audio: English/Hindi DTS HD Master Audio 5.1; French DD 5.1
Extras: Featurettes, Deleted Scenes, Music Video, Audio Commentary, Digital Copy
Subtitles: English, French, Spanish
Feature Length: 121 minutes
Rating: *****
Slumdog Millionaire came literally out of nowhere to sweep the 2009 Academy Awards, winning an impressive eight Oscars, including the all important Best Picture and Best Director honors for Danny Boyle. And considering the film almost went direct to video in this country only makes the achievement even more incredible. For those who might not have gotten caught up in the Slumdog frenzy, the story revolves around Jamal Malik (played to perfection by Dev Patel), a poor and uneducated young man born of the slums of Mumbai. Jamal has somehow managed to become a contestant on the Indian version of “Who Wants To Be A Millionaire,” and amazingly enough, seems to inexplicably know all the answers as he climbs toward the show’s pinnacle. The film cleverly traces Jamal’s beginnings through a series of flashbacks, and as the movie unfolds, the often seemingly coincidental circumstances by which Jamal comes to know all the answers is revealed, along with his lifelong struggle to be reunited with the love of his life, Latika (sympathetically played by the gorgeous Freida Pinto). And despite the fact that the often breathtaking Indian scenery is frequently mixed with more disturbing images of the appalling poverty that grips so much of the country, the uplifting tone of the movie really helps the viewer connect with Jamal and the challenges he faces.
From a technical standpoint, the Blu-ray release offers reference quality sound and video, proving that the Oscars for Best Cinematography and Best Achievement in Sound are richly deserved. The image quality is uniformly superb throughout, with magnificent color representation and highly detailed images that frequently push the envelope for HD reproduction. There is some grain present throughout, but it only serves to enhance the already gritty realism of much of the film. And the shots of the Indian countryside are often breathtaking (especially the segment that revolves around the Taj Mahal)! The DTS HD Master Audio surround soundtrack provides perhaps the most realistically immersive Blu-ray experience I’ve ever enjoyed, exhibiting tremendous dynamic range and thunderous lows that will challenge any system’s capabilities. The music that gives this movie so much of its power and drive is beautifully reproduced – I have to admit that I was blown away by just how good this disc sounds!
In terms of extras, the disc offers a fairly comprehensive assortment of featurettes, including a variety of “making-of” shorts, deleted scenes, commentary from director Danny Boyle and Dev Patel, and some really fun music videos that highlight the film’s award winning music score. There’s also an excellent short film, Manjha, which offers a really dark and gritty depiction of the life of children on the streets of Mumbai – it’s a disturbingly realistic look at the harsh realities they face, and is recommended for adults only. The two-disc package also contains a digital copy of Slumdog that can be downloaded to your computer or personal portable.
I found Slumdog Millionaire to be quite unexpectedly uplifting and entertaining, and a truly reference quality home theater experience. Now was it the year’s best picture? Well, the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences thought so, and not having seen the other contenders yet, at this point, I’d have to agree. Very highly recommended.
— Tom Gibbs
