The Curious Case Of Benjamin Button

People say all of the time how youth is wasted on the young. Until you've gone through some times yourself, one might have a hard time relating to this statement. So I suppose it means to be young is foolish, naive, and fearless. "If I knew then what I know now", type of thing. But at the end of the day, youth means having your whole life ahead of you to make mistakes, be foolish in endeavors, and test the boundaries of our own existence. If we had the knowledge going into certain situations, we might choose differently and thus, miss out on a golden opportunity for growth. Which is exactly why I myself am a huge proponent of growing up, not old. But I digress.

 Benjamin Button, starring Brad Pitt and Cate Blanchett, is about the extraordinary life of a man who was born as an old man. The same size as a newborn, but with all of the physical deterioration of a hundred year-old. Not given long to live, he is taken in and is raised from the odd "child" he is to grow to become younger as time passes. This is where David Fincher really puts on his CGI hat and shines beautifully. There aren't hardly any other special effects but how he reverses and adds the aging process in the entire film. Watching Benjamin and Daisy fluctuate from youth to maturity, (or vice-versa in Benjamin's case), was done so effortlessly and seamlessly, it actually made me a little concerned. Actors embracing this technology and demanding they appear more vibrant and youthful to sustain their careers, is a very real and scary thought. With our culture so engrossed with appearances and fighting the aging process, I hope this isn't a peek into our movie future.  However, I applaud how technology has opened our minds to lands and worlds unexplored. With that said, Brad and Cate both gave stellar performances as two ships passing in the night; always there, but from afar.

Director David Fincher was at the helm for such films as "Se7en", "The Game", Zodiac", "Panic Room", and my personal favorite, "Fight Club", (apparently he and and Brad Pitt enjoy working together). He has a very unique style that is simultaneously dark and beautiful. You could translate his pictures into black and white and not miss a beat. David's usage of color, as little as he does use, enrich the scenes so much, you can almost smell the looming Oak trees, the stale sweat from a Brothel, or the salt from the ocean.

At 2 hours and 45 minutes, this was a long journey at the movies. 

But one definitely worth taking.

RATING:  B+