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Brothers Grimm is a light-hearted ghost story

Jen Wingard | Washington, DC | 10/03/2005

(4 out of 5 stars)

"The Brothers Grimm is a suspenseful light-hearted ghost story in the cinematic tradition of such movies as Pirates of the Caribbean, The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen, and Sleepy Hollow. The brothers, played by Heath Ledger and Matt Damon, couldn't be more enchanting in their roles in this fairy tale movie. Jacob, played by spectacle toting Heath Ledger, is the lovable underdog, an impractical poet who wears his gold heart on his sleeve. Wilhelm of course, couldn't be more different as the devilishly dashing woman-chasing lead and older brother.

The film is set in French occupied Germany and is quite amusing for history buffs. There, Jacob and Wilhelm have a run in with the French army. They've roamed from town to town making up fairy tales, but not only in the story sense! Jacob largely follows Wilhelm around documenting the folk tales of the various villages they weave their `magic' around. When they are captured, the scenes involving the French general (Jonathan Pryce) are classically macabre in every sense- I don't want to spoil any surprises so you'll have to see the movie to find out why. Caravaldi, a captain in that army, played by Peter Stormare, becomes a permanant pest and an unexpected side-kick. The character is completely absurd with an Italian accent, hilarious yet creepy.

With Caravaldi, the brothers find themselves embroiled in a real mystery when all the girls in the village disappear. The townsfolk are strange but the boys eventually warm up to the female lead, Angelika (Lena Headey) who leads them through the forest and tells them of the folk tales of her youth. There's a little bit of that fairy tale magic mixed in with some European folklore which makes the movie interesting from an anthropological perspective... it makes you wonder what our folktales say of our history. The movie makes us imagine that these fairy or folk tales were real events, documented faithfully by the trusting Jacob. And there in the forest the brothers discover the truth behind the girls' disappearance, the connection with Angelika's missing father, and a wolf that has terrorized the forest.

The Brothers Grimm is spooky and maybe a little scary/disturbing for young children but don't see the movie expecting a thriller- after all the movie is based on Grimm's fairytales. It's a lot of fun trying to guess which fairy tale is being alluded to in the various scenes as the Brothers seek to rid village of their haunting. And it is interesting how the movie weaves each story into another. There are great questions as to what is real and what is not... is it supernatural, a trick, magic?

Magic there is, and chemistry too for sure in this entertaining movie. Lovers of fairy tales and ghost stories alike will find themselves falling in love with The Brothers Grimm! Hopefully, the DVD or movie will be out for Halloween.
"

Gilliam in top form

gordonblu | USA | 10/04/2005

(4 out of 5 stars)

"I recently heard someone say they were disappointed with Gilliam's "update" of the Famous Brothers and their Fables. Whoever said that doesn't understand Gilliam's modus operandi. He is a genius at creating brand new worlds(Time Bandits and Brazil) and Bringing old Folktales and fantasy stories back to their roots while still making them entertaining(Baron Munchausen).

The same is true of the Brothers Grimm. He offers a unique spin on Red Riding Hood, Hansel and Gretel, and quite distinctly the Gingerbead Man, but at the same time retains the essence of the original stories. Fariy Tales are DARK! They were meant to frighten Children into BEHAVING!

I also appreciated the emphasis on Character. With the Exception of Peter Stormare's hammy torturer, the Cast is Excellent. Matt Damon is always good, but Heath Ledger Steals the film with his portrayal of Jacob Grimm. And of course Jonathan Pryce is always enjoyable.

My biggest complaint though is a rather nasty scene involving a kitten. Gilliam can at times have an extremely nasty sense of humor and this was particularly unpleasant.

Gilliam's films are not for all tastes I confess. But I thouroughly enjoyed this film. I'll never look at the gingerbread man the same way again."

Have the right expectations and you'll see it for the master

Nelleke | The Netherlands | 10/23/2005

(5 out of 5 stars)

"I've heard a few people say they were disappointed after seing this film; they had expected better. I think a lot of people have the wrong expectations when it comes to The Brothers Grimm: in the theatre I see lots of people of whom I can tell from moment one they will be disappointed.

Mothers with young children who actually think this movie has anything to do with the traditional fairy tales; this movie is NOT for children! If I were 7 I'd wet my bed for days after seing The Brothers Grimm. Young boys and girls on dates, all expecting an easy digestive romcom with an obvious storyline and no depth (I don't know how they got there but they did). That is NOT the case. If you want Finding Nemo, go see Finding Nemo. If you want American Pie, go see American Pie. But don't complain about The Brothers Grimm, because it is an absolute masterpiece!

The storyline is entertaining (one of the few movies that doesn't make you go "when's the intermission already? I need to pee!"), the director paints an amazing picture with his brilliant set, the characters are adorable and the actors do an amazing job. There wasn't a moment I saw them acting instead of being. One thing that really caught my attention was the role of Angelika (by Lena Heady) which reminded me in every single way of Keira Knightley's version of Guinevere in King Arthur - in a good way though.

Overall, I think this movie is a serious tribute to the fantasy genre, and I think that people who can appreciate that will love this. Don't look for logic, don't look for unexpected plots like in The Village and The Others, don't expect American Pie jokes and FOR GOD'S SAKE don't take your little children with you to this movie.

This is a brilliant movie that can hold it's own and if you ask me it deserves lots and lots of attention and awards.

YOU WILL LIKE THIS MOVIE IF YOU LIKE... Sleepy Hollow (with Johnny Depp and Christina Ricci), King Arthur (with Clive Owen and Keira Knightley), Pirates of the Caribbean (with Johnny Depp and Orlando Bloom)."

I thought it was good personally.

J. Gibson | NC,USA | 12/03/2005

(5 out of 5 stars)

"For the person who wrote animal cruelty. There is such things as fake cats, cg graphics and robotics. They are not that stupid to do that to a real cat, so don't push your peta beliefs on everyone else. If you want to boycott it because you don't agree with it then fine, but don't force everyone else to.

Yes I did think that it was a little misguided in the ad. People assumed it would be alright to take kids to due to it being about fairy tales.... However I noticed a lot of reviews made bad comments saying that isn't how the fairytales went, it was awful blah,blah, blah. If you EVER do your investigating you will realize that the original storys were just has horrific as how they were offered in the movie. Little red riding hood did get eaten, hanzel and gretle did get killed by the witch and all the other storys were like that. There is books where the storys doesn't go as plan. If you investigate you will realize the storys were changed later so they would not scare children. If people cannot accept this then they shouldn't worry about seeing the movie ever again.

Now back to the movie, yes it was graphic with the cat scene as well as afew others, I suggest this as a renter for those who really disagree with the whole concept of the dark side of the storys or those who agree with the negative comments. As for those who enjoy action, horror, dark movies, then by all means this is a buyer.

Video wise I give this movie one thumb up and I'll explain why. Graphically it was pretty good and and the effects or lack there of was alright but could have found better ways to do some scenes. Audio was average but I think that was because the theater speakers sucked. Acting was average."