Absolutely moving and powerful

Rating: 10/10 (8 January 2009)

With a sprawling, epic feel, wonderful acting, and makeup and digital FX work beyond Oscar-winning, The Curious Case of Benjamin Button is an instant classic, a movie that doesn't just want to entertain. It makes you think about life, about all the mistakes you've made, about how short the whole ordeal really is. The movie is so effective and powerful with such a subtle delivery of its message that it's hard not to tear up just a little bit. The movie has two of the best performances I've ever seen on screen with Brad Pitt and Cate Blanchett both being at their very best. Button is based on a short story by F. Scott Fitzgerald, and is directed by David Fincher (Fight Club, Se7en, Zodiac).
Throughout the passage of time in the movie, if you know anything about it, Benjamin keeps getting younger and younger, and basically starts out as a baby who has the looks of an older man. This is where the movie works its magic. Just seeing Brad Pitt reappear as his 20 year-old self, the movie works on so many levels. The constant metaphors with the clocks, the present-day storytelling, the narration... it all just flows together so rhythmically into a film with no flaws. This isn't just the best movie of the year, it's one which transcends time and makes for a moving and powerful piece of film-making gold.