The Curious Case of Benjamin Button

Just caught The Curious Case of Benjamin Button at JP just now, on the first day of its opening. Naturally, it attracted a large crowd (about 3/4 of the cinema is occupied), especially with all the hype going on about the movie and the 13 oscar nominations it received. I too, eagerly wanted to watch the movie to find out if it is really worth the time, money and the nominations. Another reason why I wanted to watch this movie was the storyline, which was really special to me.

The Curious Case of Benjamin Button tells the story of a boy, Benjamin Button, who was born old and he grew younger and younger as he became older in age. His lifestory was kept in a diary that was read to Daisy, a women he loved, by her daughter, as Daisy was in her last moments of her life. As his lifestory unfolds, the movie brought us through several stages of his life, from being an old man with a child's thinking, all the way till he is in his 40s (20+ in real life), then to his 50s (which he became a young hunk) till his death (he died as a baby).

Though the movie was long, 2 hours and 40 minutes according to sources, it did not feel that long. The movie picked up on a slow pace and continues to move as such a pace. Not rushing through his whole life story allows viewers to connect with the character much more emotionally as viewers are able to see and feel his thoughts through the different stages of his life. The movie has also gave us a lot of opinions on life. Thinking back, a 'child' growing up in a place where people around him dies, and he, thinking that his time may be up any moment, Benjamin is still able to put on a positive outlook towards life.

In fact, his life journey is just like any one of us, from child, till adolescent, adult and then old. There is really nothing special about his life, except from the face that he grows younger instead of older. Still, the movie is captivating in the way Benjamin's life is being depicted.

Overall, the movie didn't disppoint me although it didn't blow my mind off either. I dislike the part when they kept switching between the present and the past but overall, it was really an enjoyable 2 hours plus sitting in the cinema. The ending of the movie was the part I love the most, where there is a falshback of the main characters in the show, just like bringing us through the life of Benjamin Button once more again.

Certainly one of the films that I like (which explains the long post on it)

On a sidenote, I have not been to Jurong Point for some time and I was shocked at the scale of the expansion and the crowds. The whole place is really big for a neighbourhood shopping mall, packed with all the shops and eating outlets. Can consider heading there next time instead of town.