When Benjamin Button is born, everyone shies away from him in disgust - instead of a pink healthy baby, he is what looks like a little old man. Thankfully, a kind woman called Queenie who runs an old people's home takes Benjamin in and brings him up. He is at home amongst the elderly because he has much of their attributes. As he grows though, he seems to get younger and younger. By the time he is 17, although he looks in his 50s, he decides to leave home, promising to write to childhood friend Daisy from every port of call. Soon, he falls in love and forgets about Daisy, but on returning home after the War, he finds her there, all grown up and beautiful. They eventually embark on a love affair, but bearing in mind Daisy will age and Benjamin will grow even younger, is there any hope for their relationship?

I have a great deal of respect for Cate Blanchett as an actress; she is one of the few actresses that can hold her own against an actor of the calibre of Brad Pitt - on the whole, actresses disappointingly fall into the secondary role category. Not so Cate Blanchett. This film is primarily about Benjamin, but as Daisy, she still more than manages to make her mark. This is partly because of her striking looks, and she looks fabulous in a ballerina's outfit, but also because she has real screen presence. It is a shame that she doesn't seem more comfortable with Brad Pitt; I'm not exactly sure which of them is at fault, but it does feel very cold when the two of them are together. She ages substantially during the course of the film - again, this is done very well.

Based on a short story by F Scott Fitzgerald, this is a really touching glimpse into someone's life. The fact that Benjamin was born old and grows gradually younger, although quite a draw to the film, is somehow unimportant; it is more about gaining life experience, interacting with other human beings and accepting those who are different. It is a really touching story though and I really enjoyed it. I had put off watching the film because of all the hype - but sometimes a film is praised because it really is good, and this is one of those occasions. I really liked the way the story was told - partly narrated by Daisy remembering Benjamin in her old age, and partly by Benjamin, based on a diary he had written and left with Daisy. This added different layers to the story-telling part and made it that bit more absorbing.

The special effects are outstanding. Everyone in the film who ages, or in Benjamin's case, grows younger, does so very naturally - I never once saw anyone looking overly made-up. In hindsight, Brad Pitt looked a little fake as Benjamin in his 50s, but during the film itself, I was quite ready to be convinced. I definitely preferred seeing him as he really is, but I think that is more because of a fear of freakiness than anything else. Directed by David Fincher, the cinematography is really beautiful, although there is nothing particularly clever about it. It just looks very attractive. The shots of Daisy dancing in the dark for Benjamin particularly stand out. And the locations are lovely (apart from perhaps Benjamin's time on board a ship) - I particularly liked the old buildings that were used as the old people's home and a hotel in Russia. All in all, everything was very tasteful, without being overly in your face, and was a pleasure to watch.

I did enjoy this film. However, I would absolutely not recommend seeing it at the cinema, unless you particularly enjoy getting a numb bum - it is just way too long. Being able to watch it on DVD, pausing whenever the need arises, is much more enjoyable. The target audience, I would imagine, is going to be an older one - although the classification is 12A, I cannot imagine that many children would enjoy watching, because it is just too slow. Still, if you enjoy pondering on the meaning of life and have the patience to watch a long film about someone's life, then this is definitely worth watching. Recommended.