Millions Review
Much as David_Lynch did with The_Straight_Story, Millions finds Danny_Boyle abandoning his fondness for violence, instead directing a family film that delves into magical realism. Boyle takes the striking visual techniques from Trainspotting and 28_Days_Later and applies them to a children's fantasy populated by haloed saints. It's busy, colorful, cheery -- and ultimately scattershot. With swarming images and a relentless music-box soundtrack (by John_Murphy), Boyle tends to overwhelm what should be a simple story about two brothers distributing 229,000 pounds before a monetary conversion renders the currency worthless. Millions exists some time in the nebulous future, and its frenetic dream-like quality deepens the effect. Even if the film doesn't work on all levels, it's worth applauding. Child actor Alex_Etel turns in an earnest performance that's as accomplished as Freddie_Highmore's in Finding_Neverland. Etel gives great voice to the whimsical chatter in Frank_Cottrell_Boyce's screenplay, which, in a particularly British and particularly endearing form of artifice, is just a little too sophisticated for a child. Trusting to a fault, Etel proceeds through his magical world with total naïveté, which makes him impervious to real-world harms. Namely, the shady character (a menacing Christopher_Fulford) creeping around his attic, which serves as a nod to Boyle's first film, Shallow_Grave. That's just one of several ways the film fits comfortably into Boyle's oeuvre, including his intermittent use of over-exposed and richly colorized film stock. Like most Boyle films, though, Millions is just flawed enough to give pause. Derek Armstrong, Rovi
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