The Curious Case Of Benjamin Button [DVD] [2008]

Product details:

• Product group: DVD
• Edition: DVD
• Publisher: Warner Home Video
• Format: Anamorphic, PAL
• Release Date: 2009-06-08
• Starring: Brad Pitt, Cate Blanchett, Julia Ormond, Jason Flemyng, Taraji P. Henson
• Audience rating: Suitable for 12 years and over
• Encoding: Region 2
• Run Time: 159 minutes
• Studio: Warner Home Video
• Aspect Ratio(s): 16:9 - 1.78:1
• Manufacturer: Warner Home Video
• Package Dimensions: 7.4 x 53 x 75 inches

Customer reviews:

Without doubt one of the worst films I've ever seen, 2010-08-17
I'm going to do something here, which I usually frown upon; something I usually berate other people for; I'm going to do soemthing that goes against all my principals and something I can not justify logically or morally - and that is write a review about something I didn't see through to the end.

However, in this case I can't help myself - I found this film so utterly boring I feel I deserve the right to vent my anger at having been forced to watch this drivel (by my flat mate, who fell asleep half way through and left me to struggle with it on my own) and being subjected to the most boring, bland and self endulgent cinema ever. Even Pitt's narration was flatter than a pancake. And talking of pancakes - how this film wasn't 'panned' by the critics (that's a cooking/pancake pun/joke, by the way), I'll never know. Unless (and this is why I don't normally agree with writing reviews for things haven't seen through to the end), there was some sort of grand finale at the end, or reveal that made you go: ''ooooooh! Arrrrrgh!'' or ''WOW!! Now it all makes sense and was worth while...''

However, even if that's the case I don't think that would be enough to justify sitting through all 3 hours of this boring agony. I tried to stick with it, I really did; First, I saw my flat mate was asleep, cursed him for getting me into this mess and leaving me to hold the proverbial bucket of Benjamin Button BS, but struggled on; still I struggled to try and make it too the end when the film passed boring and became annoying; then too, when the film passed annoying and became painful; finally, I put in one last Herculian effort to push through the mind-numbing dullnes, and struggled further, as I tried to tell myself, ''you've come this far - you have to see it through now!'' but in the end I couldn't... I just couldn't! I switched it off after what seemed like an eternity of pointless stories that were neither, funny, exciting, or informative - but in the true spirit of the film, were just plain boring.

If I could give a film 0 stars I would. I could make a strong case for this being the worst film I've ever seen, except it was so bad I can't even say that I've seen it can I - because as I said, I couldn't manage it and had to switch it off. Give it a huge wide birth in my opinion. I don't even think the make-up was that good either to be honest.

In the end, the only 'curious' thing about the Benjamin Button case - is why it was so praised.

If you found this review helpful at all please give it a thumbs up. Thanks!

Strangely flat, 2010-08-10
I'm not a fan of Brad Pitt - I think he looks like a big beefy baby, and his acting is completely boring. But this film has had rave reviews, and I think Cate Blanchett is brilliant. So I took a little risk, and rented this DVD. And now I kind of wish I hadn't bothered.

This film started off interesting, and the visual effects are superb. I don't mind slow-paced films, so I settled down and let the sepia-tinted story unfold. But after an hour or so, I began to check the timer on my DVD player A LOT. You know you're in trouble when you start doing that an hour and a half from the end. The meandering pace just kept on plodding along. Minor characters came, and minor characters went, and I didn't care about any of them. Unfortunately I didn't care about the main characters either. I'm not sure why, but they just werent apealing or endearing in any way. Benjamin basically just gets younger throughout the film, and that's it. Cate's Blanchett's character (I can't even remember her name) seems kind of shallow and selfish, wafting in and out of Benjamin's life when she feels like it.

In fact, I think the front cover of this DVD just about sums up the film. Pretty people, nice visuals, and very little emotional resonance. I kind of feels like they both just stare blankly like that for the whole film.

Some reviewers seemed to see this film as a poignat reminder that 'Its whats on the inside that counts', but I really think that's pushing it. If this fim has any message at all, its certainly not about love triumphing over appearances, or whatever. I cant really go into why without giving away major plot points, but basically the main characters actions often seem ridiculously shallow and cold-hearted. And so SERIOUS. The only humour comes from a couple of 10-second scenes about a man being repeatedly hit by lightning.

For me, this film was just part of a long tradition of Brad Pitt films that I wish I hadn't bothered with.

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Curious Case of Benjamin Button, The (DVD, 2008) US $6.00 End Date: Wednesday Sep-22-2010 20:49:05 PDT Buy It Now for only: US $6.00 Buy it now | Add to watch list