Film Preview: The Curious Case of Benjamin Button (2008)

Trailers (Due to age, may no longer be available)

Posters (Due to age, may no longer be available)

Poster Rating: B-; B-; B

Review: While there is an inventive flair to having Pitt’s poster read backwards like the direction his chracter ages, this pair of bookend posters is rather lackluster and lacking in detail, which could sell the film just as easily.

Visually stunning, but a bit obtuse when it comes to a message. Torn between two lovers, the poster suggests that life lived forward and life lived backwards can combine. However, it’s lack of clear symbolism may lead others to wonder what it’s all about.

Trailer Rating: B; A-

Review: It’s difficult to write reviews of trailers when you’ve heard input from others in your own field. My board has been achatter about the trailer and now that I’ve seen it, I’m not sure what the hubbub is about. It looks competent for sure and the cinematography is outstanding and you can’t go wrong with Cate Blanchett or Tilda Swinton, but there were some eerie similarities in visual style to Big Fish, which isn’t necessarily a bad thing, but it does make you wonder if it will be too similar. Hopefully David Fincher has diverted his style well enough to make the film more individualistic.

What a far more impressive trailer this second one is. It gives you far more information, but when that might hurt other films, it works wonders for this one. Giving the audience a real taste of the fantastical elements within and thus building up intrigue is a perfect selling point. And after watching this, I’m sure this can be taken seriously by the Academy, which means this could be a contender for Best Picture in a year that’s turning into a surprisingly bountiful one.

Oscar Prospects:

It’s feast or famine for fantasy at the Oscars and this film embodies that possibility. While a Best Makeup nomination is almost assured, everything else seems to be up for grabs. Thankfully Fincher’s already broken the glass ceiling with Zodiac, so maybe the Academy will take him more seriously now.