As Benjamin, Brad Pitt adds another nuanced and interesting performance to his résumé, and as his love Daisy, Cate Blanchett continues to establish herself as an actress always in command. Fincher achieves a similar densely layered feel like he did with Zodiac, taking a massive story, and giving us striking images that almost always take the story exactly where it needs to go. There are a few points where Benjamin Button feels like it might just be dragging on a bit too long, but it’s hard to say what you could really cut out of this film. And most impressive are the visual effects, which are astounding and probably represent the most effective use of technology to advance – not substitute for – the story in a film.
The Curious Case of Benjamin Button feels like a film that will only grow in esteem as the years pass, and a film that will certainly reward viewers if they allow additional viewings. It exists as both a fantasy painted with romantic views on life, love, and death, and a film that has much to say about the very real passing of time in each of our lives.
The Blu-ray Disc
The Curious Case of Benjamin Button is presented in 1080p high definition with an aspect ratio of 2.40:1. This is by far one of the best visual transfers I’ve ever seen, with this mostly digitally shot film being converted directly from the source without any transfer to film. Many high def transfers have certain colors or images that really pop or stand out; this one has that effect for nearly everything on screen. Skin tones are extremely lifelike, blacks are impossibly opaque and the golden-tinted color palette of the film looks absolutely gorgeous. The wide variety of locations provides for a broad range of color, and it all looks fantastic. Picture clarity and sharpness is seemingly flawless throughout.
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