Slumdog: Does it live up to the hype?

The answer: Sort of.

You know the story. Filmmakers spend $15,000 or so on a movie, it goes global, makes it big, and it wins a ton of Oscars. The wife and I finally saw it tonight, and I was eager to find out if the movie was as good as so many said it was.

If you're looking for a movie that hits hard for two straight hours, look elsewhere. It takes a while to get going, and the general premise is laid out right away. In Memento style, though, it sort of works backwards in telling the story, and it builds everything up to where the last half-hour to 45 minutes of the movie grabs you and doesn't let go.

However, it comes at a cost. It almost seems like too much happens to our hero. Okay, we get that he grew up in a slum in India and that everyone he encountered wanted to kill him at some point. Move on with the story already. It eventually does, but it seemed like it could have been done quicker. I get suspending disbelief for the sake of drama, but it became the cinematic equivalent of beating a dead horse after a while.

Maybe this is picking nits, though, as the last portion of the movie is tremendously-done. Circles are closed, audiences are put on the edges of seats, and you end up with a protagonist you can really root for. Still, while it's a very well-done movie, I didn't find it worthy of Best Picture honors or anything. It was a fun movie, and while I highly recommend seeing it, know that it could have been better.

RATING: ****1/4