Slumdog Millionaire Blu-ray

Slumdog Millionaire

 (2008)

Crime | Drama | Mystery | Romance



The story of Jamal Malik, an 18 year-old orphan from the slums of Mumbai, who is about to experience the biggest day of his life. With the whole nation watching, he is just one question away from winning a staggering 20 million rupees on India's "Who Wants To Be A Millionaire?" But when the show breaks for the night, police arrest him on suspicion of cheating; how could a street kid know so much? Desperate to prove his innocence, Jamal tells the story of his life in the slum where he and his brother grew up, of their adventures together on the road, of vicious encounters with local gangs, and of Latika, the girl he loved and lost. Each chapter of his story reveals the key to the answer to one of the game show's questions. Intrigued by Jamal's story, the jaded Police Inspector begins to wonder what a young man with no apparent desire for riches is really doing on this game show? When the new day dawns and Jamal returns to answer the final question, the Inspector and sixty million viewers are about to find out...

For more details about Slumdog Millionaire on Blu-ray, see the Slumdog Millionaire Blu-ray Review

Slumdog Millionaire Blu-ray, Video Quality

 


Shot with a combination of film and video cameras, Slumdog Millionaire comes to Blu- ray with its distinctively stylized appearance intact. It's a unique looking movie with an abundance of moody, almost monochromatic photography, designed to depict the seemingly infinite mass of Mumbai residents in a style that never glamorizes their suffering. As a matter of fact, director of photography Anthony Dod Mantle's rich photography was honored with the Academy Award for achievement in cinematography just last month. Given the film's pedigree and award recognition, Fox has given Slumdog Millionaire a high bitrate AVC Mpeg-4 1080p encode, in the film's original theatrical aspect ratio of 2.35:1, that captures the movie's groundbreaking style to perfection.

Slumdog Millionaire isn't a traditionally "pretty" film, rather, it's a gritty realization of the realities of slum life in India. Regardless, the film's unique landscapes and industrial locations take on a picturesque quality that becomes more and more visually appealing as the film unfolds, in spite of its desolate nature. The movie maintains a brownish color scheme throughout with washed out colors and intentionally tweaked contrast levels. Detail isn't particularly great throughout the film, but does occasionally reveal finer elements in the photography. Fortunately, the film is never hindered by edge enhancement, excessive digital noise reduction or other digital annoyances. Slumdog Millionaire is fully present in all of its unwashed and gritty glory on Blu-ray; the film is completely accurate to its intended look and is highly recommended.

Slumdog Millionaire Blu-ray, Audio Quality

 


Slumdog Millionaire features a bizarre 5.1 DTS-HD Master Audio track, mixing English and Hindi dialogue, that serves as a lively representation of the bustling streets of the slums of Mumbai. The film's unique sound design was honored with an Academy Award in 2008 and has been faithfully reproduced on this Blu-ray release. As the film flashes between scenes of Jamal’s childhood, incarceration and game show appearance, the soundtrack echoes the aural signature of each locale, creating a swirling surround experience that never fails to entice. I was very impressed with the film’s use of discreet surround effects in the Mumbai scenes; the effects help to create a sense of heightened reality that infuses realism with sonic exaggeration.

My favorite aspect of the soundtrack to Slumdog Millionaire is its Academy Award winning score from Indian composer A.R. Rahman; it's a lively and raucous collection of eclectic Indian tunes that add a layer of authenticity to each scene, while remaining melodic and enticingly rhythmic. The score is beautifully presented on this Blu-ray release, practically exploding from the soundstage and dominating all 5.1 channels. Dialogue is crisply presented, though the cast’s thick Indian accents may prove to be problematic for some viewers. Ultimately, Slumdog Millionaire's audio presentation manages to be both exciting and subtle when required, dutifully reproducing the award-winning sonic elements of this deserving production. Highly recommended!

Slumdog Millionaire Blu-ray, News and Updates

• Today on Blu-ray - March 31st - March 31, 2009


• Slumdog Millionaire Announced for March 31st Release - March 3, 2009

Slumdog Millionaire Blu-ray, Forum Discussions

Topic

Replies

Last post