The Curious Case of Benjamin Button

Rating: 7/10 (1 May 2020)

The Curious Case of Benjamin Button, originated by F. Scott Fitzgerald, directed by David Fincher, wasn't one of his best films, but it still had a few complex messages. With Fincher being out of his element, shooting his first PG-13 movie, he still managed put together a great film with a lot of heart. While Fincher is behind the camera, you can always expect a dazzling looking film. He created these beautiful, authentic shots, really capturing the feel of the early 1900s, to the mid 1900s. For his work, he was nominated at the Academy Awards, but coming up short to Danny Boyle in Slumdog Millionaire.
David Fincher created this original premise, with great story telling, and a focused narrative. The way they embraced the meaning of life & death, felt borrowed from Forrest Gump, but they still managed to create their own vision, with tremendous meaning and value. With so much going on, the story ran into some pacing issues, being fast paced at first, and then stalling out a little come the second act.
The character performances as a whole was very good, but nobody really stands out all that well; A lot of the characters just felt like plot devices, to keep the narrative going. The only character I cared about was Brad Pitt. He put on such a phenomenal performance as Benjamin Button, being nominated for an Academy Award.
The screenplay by Eric Roth & Robin Swicord was very powerful. They packed a lot of true emotions, being rich & authentic to the premise and time frame. They were also nominated for an Oscar was well, but falling short to Slumdog Millionaire, again.
The cinematography by the Academy Award nominee Claudio Miranda, had such a clear, yet gloomy tone. The color palette he utilized consisted a lot of greys, blues, & yellows. The visual effects was the clear cut star of the film. The huge visual effects team utilized countless deaging & aging methods, essentially being seamless. The makeup & hairstyle team also displayed BEAUTIFUL work, to the point where I didn't know if it was CGI or makeup, that's how flawless their attention to detail was. With a stunning production design, and crystal clear picture, The Curious Case of Benjamin Button deserved the Oscar for Best Picture.
Overall, this may not have been my favorite David Fincher Film, but with the thirteen Academy Award nominations, Fincher has done it again.