Well told story, excellent visuals

We’ve all wished we could go back to some point in our lives or get younger. This film does a great job of using that common thought to explore how we make our choices and live our lives.

I was warned by AngelGirl and TheJoe about the length and pace of this film, so I prepared to be comfortable sitting in the theater for three hours, at the very least. I actually found it to be very entertaining throughout. Usually a film on such a grand scale and length has me finding certain areas that could have been cut. I didn’t find any wasted time. Three hours was what was needed to tell the story. The pace was what was needed to tell the story right.

I found myself making comparisons to Forrest Gump, seeing a man’s personal life weaving in and out of historical events, although ‘Benjiman’ doesn’t do this nearly as much as ‘Gump’. It’s really only one layer of this movie.

I actually ran across someone a few months ago who worked for the director and saw an advanced screening of ‘Button’. His take was that Fincher had made a film that was very un-Fincher and more like Stanley Kubrick. Personally I could see the Kubrick influence, but there were also parts of the movie that were still very Fincher-like, including a very funny running gag that I’d spoil if I go into any detail.

Brad Pitt’s transformation through the film is very interesting from an acting as well as a technical view. They did a very good job making him look old, but I was more taken aback with how he was made to look younger in the later half of the movie. Whether it was makeup or some form of CG, it’s a very stunning effect. Acting-wise, how do you protray someone who gains with wisdom of living life while physically getting younger? Pitt does a great job with a challenging role.

I would say it’s worth paying full price to see in the theater once (a recommendation I don’t often make with movies of this type.)