Benjamin Button: An Interesting Concept Slightly Flawed in its Execution

Rating: 7/10 (12 August 2009)

Benjamin Button is an enjoyable film. There is humour, drama, emotion, and action. The idea of a man ageing backwards makes for an interesting film and is an original way to explore the themes of life and death. However, the theme exploration is one of the areas where the film falls flat.
First off, the acting and the characters; Brad Pitt was not a good choice as the lead, in my opinion. I would probably have gone with an actor who is less of a typical Hollywood leading man: e.g. Gary Oldman. That said, he does a passable job in this role albeit seems to lack emotion at key times in the movie. Cate Blanchett was, I believe, a considerable better choice that Pitt- she out-acted him despite her character being arguably the less interesting one. The characters narrowly avoid being dull clichés and stereotypes with an extra touch of depth to each one, keeping you rooting for the protagonists. The supporting cast was excellent; no complaint there.
Next; the story and the way it is presented. The story, like the characters, avoids the general clichés and pitfalls of a lot of these types of films. I felt that the story was one of the stronger points of this film- it seemed like a more believable version of Forrest Gump. One of the flaws in the storytelling, however, was the narration. It's a cheap trick to move the story along and did very little in Benjamin Button; generally, when a film has a narrator, I expect some extraordinary insight and commentary from the narrator- that didn't happen (with the exception of the favourite scene in the film involving a long chain of events, I'm not going to spoil it), and I got the feeling that the only reason the narration was in the films, was so the entire audiences follows the story (very old and overused trick).
I mentioned theme exploration earlier; well, let me return to that. Benjamin Button has very strong themes, I can't deny that. They are sufficiently explored through some interesting (albeit simple) motifs: e.g. man getting hit by lightning, hummingbird etc. Despite this, I felt the themes of life and death could have been explored much more in-depth through the plot. I mean, this is a supernatural story- the makers had a lot of artistic license and could have used this to their advantage. I finished the film feeling that the point of the movie wasn't used to its fullest potential.
I will end this review on a high note: the directing and overall cinematography. First, I will do what I rarely do and compliment the special effects; the make-up used on Brad Pitt was extraordinary (especially towards the end where he easily passed for 17- very subtle touch of special effects there). Second, the directing was excellent and there are several very beautiful shots in the film, so kudos to David Fincher; the directing was often enough to divert my attention from often-times bland dialogue. As a piece of film-making, Benjamin Button is unique, interesting, and simply very-well done. Hollywood hasn't made a good period-piece in years (I mean, one where I actually believe for the entire film that it takes place in that era); The Curious Case of Benjamin Button comes close (if it weren't for some unrealistic 21st century-esquire lines).
Overall, I would recommend this film to anybody who doesn't mind watching something that isn't mindless action for almost three hours. It won't keep you glued to the screen the entire time, but I found that the movie had my full attention most of the time. If you liked Forrest Gump, I think you will find Benjamin Button enjoyable.