Millions (Widescreen)

 

Picture: B     Sound: B     Extras: B-     Film: B-

 

 

Director Danny Boyle made a wise decision in doing a film like Millions.  For one, it proves that he is capable of making films of various calibers and themes.  His previous achievements proved that he was capable of more serious work, while Millions is more heartwarming and family oriented.  Of course his three more well known films begin with Trainspotting, which is still a relevant film, then the mixed Beach with Mr. DiCaprio and finally 28 Days Later, which was more overrated than anything else.  By default this could be his best film to date.  Let’s hope he continues to produce results like this on other levels as well. 

 

The film deals with, as the title suggests, money, which is a hot topic to debate when it comes to having lots of money.  Money is a driving power that many feel becomes the ‘root’ of evil.  However, it is not the root of evil, but rather when we become obsessed or in love with money than it becomes a problem.  The case here is for a 5-year old boy…yes, a 5-year old!  He suddenly receives a huge bag of pounds and is trying to spend it just a few days prior to the currency being changed over to Euros.  Now if you can manage to support your disbelief without the aid of a crane, than this film will make you feel all warm and squishy inside, if not, than you will just feel squishy and probably a bit disgruntled for wasting your time. 

 

Technical this DVD from Fox is on par with almost all of their current releases despite the lack of DTS, which would have been a great addition to this film.  Fox seems split down the middle when it comes to going with DTS for their DVD releases.  We have seen some of their stellar DTS DVD’s in 2005 with the likes of I, Robot, Flight Of The Phoenix and The Day After Tomorrow (all reviewed on this site).  The Dolby Digital 5.1 here is adequate on certain levels but does not allow the viewer/listener fully engage with it’s content.  This would all be alleviated by the inclusion of DTS, which works just as well for dramas as any other genre, despite studio’s having the mindset that only action packed movies need DTS to showcase the sound design.  The surrounds are never fully active like they could be and the overall sonic nature of the film feels compressed, like most Dolby does. 

 

The anamorphic 1.85 X 1 transfer is not quite top notch nor is it bottom of the barrel.  Detail and color are fairly consistent throughout, but are not quite up to date with some of the real High Definition material.  The film was also shot with a more natural color palette that sometimes comes across as being flat, versus colorful and vibrant.  The Dolby Digital 5.1 mix is not bad either, with good dialogue, use of music and subtly good sound design typical of how imaginative Boyle can be with his films in this respect.

 

As far as extras are concerned the highlight here is the audio commentary by Danny Boyle, which is an interesting listen.  For those that have seen his films to date, this one certainly gives a real impression of his approach to filmmaking and his reasons behind making this film a reality.  While this film seems targeted to kids, it’s also a fairly entertaining movie for the entire family and is sure to find its way into the hearts of many.

 

 

-   Nate Goss