cinema versus armchair

Rating: 8/10 (31 May 2011)

I watched 'The Curious Case of Benjamin Button' on UK TV last night (29th May) and, like many before me, found it compelling viewing. Some have compared the film to 'Forest Gump'; however, I was reminded, cinematically at any rate, of two much earlier films: 'The Incredible Shrinking Man', and 'The Picture of Dorian Gray', both of which, like CCBB, have sci-fi overtones, and therefore rely substantially on meticulous application of special effects. All three films are also powerful allegories of their times.
If I was so impressed by CCBB, why have I awarded the film only 8 /10? Apart from the narration, I strained to hear what the actors were actually saying. Likewise, the lighting was so poor that one could barely discern the action. For reasons of inaccessibility I cannot see films where they are intended to be viewed, i.e. at a cinema, where, presumably, you can hear and see everything that appears on screen? Perhaps an expert in the field of the transfer of films to TV (and, indeed, DVD) could explain to me why so many recent films are often so lacking in clarity when transmitted via those media.