Slumdog Millionaire offers an enticingly original presentation of familiar tales by utilizing a flashback system of storytelling that fuses exhilarating adventure with suspenseful drama.  Many of the scenarios created are nothing new, but the fantastical delivery and extraordinary setting undoubtedly provide a refreshing take on more traditional themes.

In a series of flashbacks, Slumdog Millionaire retraces young Jamal Malik’s (Dev Patel) life up to his current predicament.  He is a contestant on the Hindi version of “Who Wants to be a Millionaire” and, much to the chagrin of the show’s producers and arrogant host Prem Kumar (Anil Kapoor), Jamal manages to reach the million dollar question.  But before he can answer, time runs out and he is brought backstage to be violently interrogated by Mumbai’s thuggish police.  As Jamal explains how he knew the answer to each of the questions presented, we learn the amazing tale of the youth’s turbulent childhood and his undying search for a long lost love. 

Slumdog’s finest accomplishment lies within a unique method of flashback storytelling that perfectly complements the line of questioning presented during the game show.  As Jamal recounts his adventurous and often dangerous childhood growing up in the slums of Mumbai, we slowly learn the trials and triumphs he has faced and his ultimate reason for competing on the show.  This steady build of characters and settings creates a mesmerizing vehicle that allows the audience to easily ride along with Jamal on his tempestuous journey to face his destiny. 

For a cast consisting primarily of child actors and debut performances, the acting is surprisingly strong.  The three main characters are shown at several different stages in their lives and each perfectly complements their previous incarnations.  The children truly steal the show as they face the hardships of growing up in such despondent situations, yet while their innocence is lost their spirits remain unbroken, and Patel, Mittal, and Pinto admirably carry on their legacies to a fateful conclusion. 

Slumdog Millionaire presents a recognizably surefire love story that has been seen before. But the process in which it is used – the method of storytelling – is wholly original and genuinely entertaining. A rare setting, a coming of age flashback setup, and wonderfully developed characters make Slumdog Millionaire a winning fantasy of unyielding love. It knows when to provoke emotions through heartache, musically driven segments and ardent drama, and how to keep the viewer captured by the beauty of love’s destiny.

- The Massie Twins

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