Although it may leave some of its audience scratching their heads, The Brothers Grimm is a fun and chaotic ride like only director Terry Gilliam could bring to the screen.
The film has a huge cast of stars, including Matt Damon and Heath Ledger, and is set in French occupied Germany during the early 1800s. Jake (Ledger) and Will (Damon) Grimm make their living going from town to town and “protecting” the local farmers from monsters, enchanted creatures, and undead witches.
The two brothers are fearless in their battles aided by the fact that they happen to be con artists, and responsible for the creatures they defeat.
Their world is quickly turned upside down when the army captures them and they are forced to travel to a remote village where children have been kidnapped. Once there, the two brothers encounter a real curse, and an evil witch (played by the beautiful Monica Bellucci) living in a crumbling tower high above a haunted forest.
Accused of being behind the kidnappings, the brothers head into the haunted forest (complete with moving trees); face a werewolf woodsman; and have to figure out a way to defeat the evil queen before she steals the children’s youth.
Along the way, the brothers get to lick a rather plump toad, fall in love with the same woman, argue about magic beans, and face the endless humiliation by the Italian Captain Cavaldi – whose accent is so bad that you can barely understand anything he says.
The Grimm brothers are brave warriors for con artists
The Brothers Grimm has all the trademark chaos of a Gilliam film, such as 12 Monkeys, Brazil or the director’s Monty Python work, and fans will enjoy the director’s blending of Grimm’s Fairy Tales and the movie’s plot. The film is full of color, strange and sometimes annoying characters, funny dialogue, and even a little action.
Damon and Ledger do a decent job in the roles of the brothers, but not enough to make the characters believable. Each actor delivers a solid acting job in a movie that at times seems like it got away from Gilliam. At the same time, they don’t gel well as “brothers” and seem to lack any real connection.
Ledger seems comfortable in his role as Jake, and turns the character into a bookworm who scratches each adventure into a book that will become Grimm’s Fairy Tales. He talks extremely fast and always seems nervous about being the only one who really knows what is going on in the story – since he is the author. By the end of the movie, he becomes the hero, and naturally saves the day – or at least tries to save it.
Damon is by far the weakest link in the movie, and is very miscast among the other actors. He attempts some kind of European accent that never quite works, and tries to make Will the tough guy of the group. He is the opposite from Ledger’s character, and at times is extremely annoying to watch. I normally like Damon (Rounders is one of my favorite films), but the actor just seemed out of his element in this movie.
Although I did enjoy the movie or at least parts of it, I don’t believe it is for everyone and I think it may fall flat on more than a few of the audience. It is a Terry Gilliam film, and while that is a strong selling point for some movie fans, the film’s chaotic editing and overacting could annoy some people – it drove my wife crazy.
Monica Bellucci is beautiful and evil as the Mirror Queen
The movie has some decent special effects, and beautiful filming. Gilliam, who wrote and directed the cult hit Time Bandits, is in his element in the fantasy world, and pairing the director with the Grim Fairy Tales should be a match made in heaven.
The film has several problems (some of which are related to the director letting the film get away from him) that tend to kill any enjoyment, but it redeems itself through its use of color, filming and costumes.
The DVD comes loaded with special features that fans of the movie will enjoy. They include deleted scenes that give you a little better look at the two brothers; commentary; and documentaries on the making of the film that show how they brought the fairy tale world to the screen and the visual effects in the movie.
While The Brothers Grimm won’t be consider a classic like some of Gilliam’s earlier work, it is a fun popcorn ride into the fantasy realm filled with odd characters, stunning visuals, and a bizarre story. The actors do a good job in the film, but it may not be enough to save the movie for everyone.
The Brothers Grimm is blend of action, comedy and fantasy
I recommend the film to anyone who likes Gilliam’s unique filming and storytelling, but it may not be for everyone. I enjoyed the movie, and think it is worth watching for its blend of fairy tales, action, and comedy.
The Brothers Grimm is now available at Amazon . It is available for pre-order at AmazonUK for a March 13th, 2006, release. Visit the DVD’s database for more information.
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