I'd love to say that I enjoyed "Millions" immensely, but I can't. The young leads were delightful. Alex Etel and Lewis McGibbon carry the film well. Somehow, the overbearing message of the film just beats the heck out of the viewer. At nearly every turn, the director seems to shout, "See? These are good children! Aren't they lovely? Don't you want to be like them?" The actors were very capable of conveying this message, but the script and direction takes this power away from them, and puts it into an overwritten script.
The basic premise of the materialistic versus idealistic is just fine, but the story is muddied with the "Water For Africa" storyline. While this might be a pressing need, it's inclusion draws attention away from the story, which suffers from a very weak introduction. The element of the saints in the film was hastily introduced. A pity, since this was a load-bearing element of the film. Lovely visuals, good music, and linear directing saved this movie for me.
All in all, a nice effort, but by no means a home run. I think "Millions" tried to hard to be the 'Successful Little British Film' from the outset, a la Billy Elliot, etc. Better to just have a solid story, a fine cast and a great director, and see where it leads. "Millions" had the elements, but unfortunately, seemed bogged down by the responsibility of being an 'important' film.
The basic premise of the materialistic versus idealistic is just fine, but the story is muddied with the "Water For Africa" storyline. While this might be a pressing need, it's inclusion draws attention away from the story, which suffers from a very weak introduction. The element of the saints in the film was hastily introduced. A pity, since this was a load-bearing element of the film. Lovely visuals, good music, and linear directing saved this movie for me.
All in all, a nice effort, but by no means a home run. I think "Millions" tried to hard to be the 'Successful Little British Film' from the outset, a la Billy Elliot, etc. Better to just have a solid story, a fine cast and a great director, and see where it leads. "Millions" had the elements, but unfortunately, seemed bogged down by the responsibility of being an 'important' film.