The Independent Film Club: The Curious Case of Benjamin Button

Our new film club is your chance to pass judgement on a recent release. To kick things off, here’s a selection of readers’ views on Brad Pitt’s Oscar-nominated movie

(Courtesy Warner Bros Pictures)

shiitake1: "This movie was extraordinary beyond the movie-making. It gave New Orleans a huge sense of comfort and pride having it filmed there post-Katrina, when all was still somewhat dreamily out of balance. It was fabulous recognising the landmarks of the city in the film. The movie eerily preserved the city, as it was long before Katrina. That was comforting from a New Orleans point of view."

jeena44: "The film is too long, the pace is too slow at the beginning and it ends up rushing when they are swapping ageing stages and it gets more interesting."

thelatimes: "Typical flashy Hollywood fluff with absolutely no deep substance to it at all. Despite the fact that they're straining to persuade you that this is really a 'substantial' film, it isn't; it's an empty CGI spectacle. It's a spectacular misstep for David Fincher, who should stick to dark and edgy material where he excels, such as 'Se7en', 'Fight Club' and 'Zodiac'. I suspect this will make a lot of money, but in all truth it's David Fincher's worst movie to date."

maebusch: "I cannot fathom the appeal of Brad Pitt. He is attractive, but he is an abysmal actor. Each role brings the same lifeless face, the mumbling of lines. He has been fortunate to appear in some good films and has garnered some kind of reputation, but only by association with his more talented co-stars."

Davidsg: "I found the film fascinating visually, but oddly unmoving. The device of Button ageing backwards didn't yield much. He could have aged forwards and it wouldn't have made a difference. Maybe I missed something... In terms of the story, if you consider a masterwork such as 'The Picture of Dorian Gray', the portrait ages while Dorian stays young. Metaphorically this makes sense and is integral to the story. The curious thing of 'Benjamin Button', however... is why this bloated film ever got made."

John Meredith: "I have been knocked sideways by this film. It was an extremely special experience for my wife and me – we fell in love with it. The film's core is the passion and soul that makes most other films look cold. It teaches you about love, and loss. About overcoming adversity and living a life as fully as possible. I have been lucky never to go through the pain of mourning a loved one, and from this film I think I can appreciate that feeling somewhat."

Jedimoonshyne: "This film is true cinema. It is the perfect example of how to take a daunting premise and knead it into something that eclipses even the ambitious nature of the premise itself. Never before have I come across a motion picture that is such a celebration of life."

Next week: Is Kate Winslet a worthy multi-award winner? The next film up for discussion in The Independent Film Club is 'The Reader'. Is this the definitive Holocaust film or did you find the treatment shallow? And what about the other performances? Air your views at www.independent.co.uk/filmclub and we'll print the best of your comments in the newspaper next week.