Danny Boyle's project selection is never boring (eg: Trainspotting, 28 Days Later, and my favorite - Shallow Grave) and his new movie Millions is no exception.

It starts out as a truly magical experience of visual storytelling about a boy who finds a bag of money and the ethical dilemnas that ensue. Once I acclimatized to the thick accents, I was genuinely caught up in Boyle's world of saints and suburbs. Unfortunately, the darn thing comes off the rails about halfway through, and descends into a very pedestrian denouement. The magic drains away and reveals a traditional plot line.

Still, half a great movie is a lot more than much of what passes for film entertainment these days, so I'll count my blessings and rate this movie:

3 out of 5.

Dam it. I was hoping this would be well above average rather than just slightly. It is looking like this is going to be a Netflix rental for me.

Did the half traditional plotline have to do with the mob? That's the feeling I got from the trailer. I've really fluctuated back and forth on wanting to see this movie. At first it just looked to cute for words, and I despise excessive cuteness unless its kitsch. Then I realized the saint visions and thought it would be very much a piece inside a boy's head. A way for him to overcome his mother's death by creating a fiction land where he helps the the needy and meets saints. Then I saw the mafia, and it went a bit downhill from there. Young boy and his brother outsmart the blackmarket. Didn't call my name. However, the combination of the three together did, and I thought had they been dealt with equally throughout, then it would be a great movie. SOunds to me though, that the former makes way for the latter, so the magic and mysticism gets lost in the guns and knives?

Sadly, it's gets even more pedestrian than that...

However, I don't want to throw a damper on anyone seeing this movie - like I said, it's still better than 90% of domestic movies.

{Note: It is currently sitting at 92% (!) on Rotten Tomatoes, for those that follow such indicators - so don't let my review stop you from seeing it, there are clearly a lot of people digging it!}