Claysaba Excellent, Without a doubt!!

Baseshment I like movies that are aware of what they are selling... without [any] greater aspirations than to make people laugh and that's it.

TrueHello Fun premise, good actors, bad writing. This film seemed to have potential at the beginning but it quickly devolves into a trite action film. Ultimately it's very boring.

Kimball Exactly the movie you think it is, but not the movie you want it to be.

andrearhodes-13133 What makes Lion a must watch is the uplifting story and great performances especially from young Sunny Pawar. This journey isn't cliched and Garth Davies(in his directorial debut) makes sure he hits all the right notes and doesn't pander to sentimentality which can happen in movies of this kind.(Go watch Lion for its sheer uplifting story)

bobandlulureview Lion is based on the book A Long way Home written by Saroo Brierly and is based on his life. The movie is about a 5 year old boy Saroo (Sunny Pawar) from Khandwa, Madhya Pradesh, India, a child of a labourer, who gets separated from his brother, Guddu (Abhishek Bharate) at a railway station and ends up in a train that takes him all the way to Kolkata. Despite his frantic attempts, he is unable to get help from anyone to take him back to his place, 'Ganestalay'. After facing a lot of travails and escaping from the clutches of child snatchers including the syrupy faced Noor (Tannishtha Chatterjee) who feeds him and bathes him only to make him presentable to Rama (Nazwazuddin Siddiqui), Saroo finally finds himself in a children's home which is no better than the outside world. There are shady things happening in this place and Saroj Sood (Deepti Naval) has taken it upon herself to rescue the children from this place. Saroo gets adopted by an Australian couple Sue and John Brierly (Nicole Kidman and David Wenham) and flies to Tasmania where he begins to settle in. The Brierlys adopt another boy from India, Mantosh who unlike Saroo has some difficulty adjusting with the family. The story moves forward in time and Saroo is now 26 years old (played by Dev Patel). He is an Australian now right down to rooting for the Australian cricket team rather than the Indian. He moves to Melbourne to study hotel management where he meets Lucy (Rooney Mara). A meal with his Indian friends brings back memories from India and with Lucy's encouragement Saroo begins to trace his roots to India using Google Earth. Whilst Saroo is drawn to India, at the same time, he is feeling conflicted wondering if tracing his biological mother would mean betraying his adoptive mother. Will Saroo continue in his search for his hometown in India? Will he locate "Ganestalay"? Will he be reunited with his mother and brother? When I started watching the movie, I was wondering what all the fuss about Sunny Pawar was. I had seen better child actors. But as the movie progresses, you find that there is something so endearing about Sunny. He isn't "acting", acting and it would appear that film has captured a real life incident as is and that Sunny is the real Saroo, a lost and confused 5 year old who somehow still manages to have his wits around him. Lion received 6 Oscar nominations and won two BAFTAs. It is also the highest grossing Australian film of all time. All actors including those with minor roles (Guddu, Mantosh) have done a wonderful job. A special mention to Nawazuddin, whose screen appearance is less than 2 minutes but sends chills down your spine. Sunny Pawar, no doubt, is the star of the show. The film shows Sunny walking barefoot, covered in filth, rummaging through all that garbage in search of food and gets you wondering how does one film such a scene so realistically! His face looks unwashed, his eyes crusty and there's dried mucous around his nose! The film beautifully captures emotions of the actors. The mother's anguish over her lost child, the blind hope of being finally traced by his mother, the joy of laying eyes on their adopted child who has travelled from across the world, the guilt of having led a comfortable life while your family may still be unaware of your survival, the conflict of having to choose biological over adopted... The film doesn't have many dialogues but manages to tell the story beautifully. The ending is bittersweet but then all's well that ends well. Throughout the entire movie, you wonder why the film is called Lion. I even thought it was because Dev Patel's hair hangs loose from his head like a mane (!!!). The title of the movie is explained towards the end and I may have shed a tear or two.

MJB784 It was ok. Since its a true story, I know it's sad what he went through, but we don't know much about the other characters. The adopted parents didn't seem very interesting. I think this story is more powerful if it was on the news than in a movie. It was about this lost son trying to find his mother in India for over 20 years. Though what happened in his life was sad, there isn't much story. It just goes in circles till he finds his mom.

maisiechandler Lion is an authentic and amazing piece of cinematography, based on the astonishing true story of Saroo Brierley. Lion is an uplifting movie, supported by an incredible cast that compellingly portrays the moving journey of Saroo and his family. The movie is nothing like you have ever seen before and is a genuine experience unlike any other multi-race Hollywood movie. From the very first scene of the movie; played by the young and adorable Sunny Pawar, we are faced with an emotional rollercoaster, about the truths of children in India, and how the young 5 year old Saroo's life changed from the moment he stepped foot in the large and busy city of Calcutta. The movie is then carried by the wonderful Dev Patel who creates an enthralling performance in connecting the stories of Saroo throughout his life. Lion is a must see movie, that will keep you on your toes from start to end, and magnificently portrays the inspiring life of Saroo Brierley (Lion)