Terry Giliam knows how to make beautiful movies. I mean, they just look fantastic. Unfortunately, his skill doesn’t translate into making them sustainable for two hours.
As with 12 Monkeys, and Brazil, the world created for Brother’s Grimm is visually immersive and highly creative. The story is about a pair of con artist brothers who create fake demons and monsters and then ride into town offering their services as demon-banishers and curse-breakers. Heath Ledger and Matt Damon, while obviously having fun with accents, never graduate past the quick brush strokes of character development into full-fledged personalities.
This is a shame, because as the script moves into the meat of the story, where the “heroes†are revealed, and then enlisted to fight actual demons in a cursed town, the opportunity emerges for a truly meaningful tale of two brothers with opposing world views but a love for each other that sees them through their trials.
Also, because of the shaky pace and narrative structure, and the wasted talents of Jonathon Price and Peter Stormare, the movie never develops into the morality tale that it could be, and always stays on the level of superficial gags and skin-deep acting.
Funny at times, exciting at times, the movie is enjoyable if you set your expectation levels accordingly.
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