(spoiler free)
By all right, I shouldn’t do this. Anyone writing any kind of review in any capacity should maintain a level of objectivity, not merely for their reputation, but also out of consideration for the audience that are going to take your words for scripture and sit down in their local theatres, with expectations and your perceptions in mind.
It is that very reason why I go to Twitch instead of AICN, where hyperbole runs rampant.
When people ask me who my favorite directors are, I always tell them “The three D’s: Lynch, Fincher and Cronenberg”.That sentence alone speaks volumes not only about my taste in movies, but also my mental state after I have a little film festival in my bedroom. 
I love Finchers work. Everything from the minute detail he puts into films like “Fight Club” to the juggling act of humour and seriousness in “Zodiac”, I’ve watched with applause. Sure he f*%~“d up Panic Room. I won’t avoid that. It was a movie that just didn’t fly. And people are quick to slam Alien 3, which had an infamously troubled production from the start. He’s human and fallable like every other filmmaker. But I’ve seen him take stories that have been done to death and bring them to life through style and vision. His films have that dark, ominous atmosphere, which oozes from every frame. His characters, obsessed social outcasts, are eaten up by the shadows and endless darkness and brought on twisted adventures that don’t necessarily have happy endings.

So I found it surprising that “The Curious Case Of Benjamin Button” marked a turn, at least as far as I’m concerned, in content and direction for this prominent filmmaker. Initial skepticism of the 12A (I’m European) rating was quashed, purely because the content engaged with the audience right from the start. Out of the 700 people in the theatre last night, I think 5, maybe 6 got out of their seats for the bathroom. That’s unheard of in Dublin, I can assure you. This film is like a fairytale without actual fairies. And it’s not really until the end that we realise how many characters and little stories we’ve been introduced to.
I’m sure anyone reading this will be aware of the plot by now. There’s no need to recite it. And it’s safe to say you’ve probably seen the trailer also. Although Fincher treads on somewhat fresh ground with a more milder narrative, his eye for visual whoomf and persang still hold true. To put it in words, the film looks gorgeous. The scenes are painted with a quasi-sepia tone feeling, giving the impression that he either found the film in his basement, or he left the celluloid out in the sun for a week.
Either way it works.
Pitt does the job as the backwards-ageing Button with competence. His cg young/old self looks truly realistic and for a character that starts out primarily in cgi, I didn’t disconnect and shut off to it as I’ve done with so many recent movies. Even his voice (something which gets seriously overlooked with cg characters) was raspy and aged.
This film, like most of Finchers other movies, takes it’s time and paces appropriately. We’re hit with drama and humor almost simultaneously, neither stealing the show and spoiling the sense of balance.But it isn’t necessarily perfect. The “modern day” scenes set in the hospital feel a little too familiar and I’m thankful that they come in short enough bursts, because there’s so much blue light flying around in those scenes, that it’s almost depressing. One other thing that bothered me, and I have to watch what I say here, is how they deal with Benjamin visually towards the end of the film.
Not to ruin this for anyone, but I just felt like it was phoned in a bit, especially when they did such a good job until then. I actually heard two people in front of me sigh at one point.
But don’t let this irk you. If you ask me, you get a lot more than you lose with this film. For 2hrs+, it goes in nicely and it made me ponder life and death on the stroll home.

That’s all I got

Hmmm, watched this in theatres last weekend. As much as I liked the first flashback scenes (really cool effect there) that’s about there was to the film for me.

The scenes in our time were completely abdundant and the only old guy present seemed to be Fincher himself. He lacked just about anything to make a film like this work. No sense of drama, romance or fantasy whatsoever.

The films felt like a dead-born brainchild of Jeunet & Burton. Which they would then hide in the attack in fear of ever being discovered. Shame though, seemed like such a good concept.

sometime in everyone’s life, we would start to reflect on what it was that we’ve done with our lives, whether we’ve achieved everything we set out to do, whether we’ve lived rich, full lives, or whether we still have unfulfilled dreams and regrets. perhaps it’s mid-life crisis, or perhaps we only do this in our twilight years, which then really gives the term “twilight years” a solemn meaning. how do we go out, or rather, how do we choose to go out?

Benjamin Button says it right: we come into this world the same way we leave it - alone. we are all essentially alone, but during this life, it’s the people and places that give sense to who we are and what we do. no matter how tiny and insignificant something or someone may seem, as the film says, “you never know what’s comin’ to ya.” like the English woman Benjamin has a brief but passionate affair with. she recalls her failed attempt to swim across the English Channel. she thinks she would do it again. and she does. that brief encounter with her, and then Benjamin catching that bit of news on TV about her second successful swim, probably gave him the sense of purpose to face what he has to do, and that no matter what happens, it’s never the end ... until you have to go out alone.

the character of Benjamin Button really is the embodiment of all our dreams and wishes. if we could only recapture the excitement and vigour of our youth. if only we could go back to the good old days and do what we’ve always wanted to do. time is always our greatest enemy. we grow too old, too weak. and it’s only near the end that we realise what we’ve lost. but not for Benjamin. time is on his side, in a way. as time moves forward, he grows younger, stronger, and so in his “prime” is able to live to the fullest.

this is the beauty and profundity of this film, for me. it speaks so much, but it’s also a film that needs us to fill our own lives with as much as time permits before we can fully appreciate its merits.

Nevr got around to seeing this in the cinema….you really have to judge things for yourself, but I have to say, when something gets this much bad word of mouth…just about every review I’ve read and opinion I’ve heard has been fairly/really negative. Still, I’ll give it a rent, being Fincher and all.

The movie was great, I really enjoyed watching it. It’s a very unique love story, but it was really sad at the ending. Benjamin forgot everything, even the woman he loved.

Okay, having seen it I have to say that I feel critics were being a little harsh. It’s no masterpiece, and is a little overlong, but it’s really not that bad!

I think the pacing is sometimes a little slow and some scenes can be a little boring. But I am not saying it’s not a good watch, it is.