Curiously empty.....

Rating: 6/10 (12 January 2009)

The Curious Case of Benjamin Button is a film of near near robotic technological precision. It is also one of near robotic emotions. Despite a few good supporting turns, the characters come across as simply means through which to display directer David Fincher's eye for the camera. Fincher is a gifted directer,who brought us such gripping films as "Fight Club" and "Zodiac". However these two films gave him something that this one did not: a good script. Eric Roth has borrowed heavily from his previous work, "Forrest Gump" with themes of innocence and learning, along with those nifty catch phrases. However unlike "Forrest Gump", "Benjamin Button"'s themes feel tacked on and not fully developed. At times it sounds as if the characters are giving the audience a lecture, that serves themselves no true purpose. This is not to say the the film isn't a technical marvel. In fact, some of the films better moments have no speaking, and are more a display of Fincher's solo talent. The performances are solid, but often crumble under the clunky script. One exception is a brief, but marvelous turn by Tilda Swinton, who has the film's best scenes and adds a much needed layer of character complexity. However Swinton is simply not on screen enough to elevate the film as a whole, and by the time the credits arrived, I simply thought..."OK, that was kinda cool...so what?"