The Curious Case of Benjamin Button

Ever since I saw the trailer for this movie I knew it was going to be good. With the perfect formula, David Fincher directing, Eric Roth writing, and David Fincher’s star actor Brad Pitt. It was no surprise to me that it was garnishing Oscar buzz as soon as it was released to some critics. Now, after seeing it for myself, I know it deserves every award it can possibly get. The stunning visuals combing with masterful storytelling make an experience unlike any other.

At first the main concept, the fact that Benjamin ages backwards is very in your face and is the main focus of the movie. Then, as the story goes on, this fact takes a backseat to the story of a man trying to live his life. The last couple of minutes turns back to the fact that Benjamin ages backwards again. This is all told beautifully in diary format. A woman reads Benjamin’s life story to her dying mother in a New Orleans hospital. This story is read during the first few hours of Hurricane Katrina, and the impending doom that the audience senses just adds to the main story. The story is just overall amazing and I will not go into it anymore, as the trailer does not either.

The visuals are also something that caught my eye at all times. No matter the age of Benjamin, it always looked like, in some way, Brad Pitt. They did an amazing job with both him and Kate Blanchett. Everything else with the visuals are also great. From his time on the ocean, to the lighting in every scene, everything is played out perfectly and the all of what you see works together to create an amazing visual experience.

This is also the ultimate era piece. It goes through Benjamin;s entire life, from the end of WWI to the late 90’s. Every era is perfect. There was never a question to what time they were in. Costumes, music, technology, references, and so on come together to make a beautiful time piece.

The feeling I walked away from this movie hit me hard. Not may of you know this, but I am going through some… shit… and this movie kind of spoke to me. It got me thinking about what I have done so far and what I might do with the rest of my life. A lot of life was lost to Benjamin, but he lived a great life and I know that he would not have changed a thing. It was a great feeling when he said it was “Never too late, or in my case, too early” to do something, anything.

Everything comes together perfectly in this movie. This movie deserves Oscars. Best picture, best director, best adapted screenplay, technical awards. This movie deserves them all.