The Brothers Grimm

Personally, I thought this movie was great. It was creative, somewhat spooky in parts, funny, and it had a variety of interesting characters. However, I think that many viewers might find the movie a little on the weird side, as it incorporates several fairy tale legends into one overall mythical legend with some rather strange events.

Will Grimm (Matt Damon) and Jake Grimm (Heath Ledger) are traveling con artists in the late 1700s during French occupied Germany, where they play upon local legends and beliefs by creating ghosts or witches which they then defeat for payment. With the assistance of two other men, they use elaborate systems of springboards, ropes and pulleys, and light displays in order to create the illusion of an otherworldly haunting. Unfortunately, however, the French military becomes aware of their scheme, and forces them to go to the aid of Marbaden, a small German town whose woods appear to be haunted. Their mission is to unmask the real culprits who are causing the disturbance and rescue 10 missing girls who have mysteriously disappeared within the forest. They are led through the enchanted woods by Angelika (Lena Headey), a beautiful hunter/trapper whose three sisters are among the missing. Once they enter the woods, however, it becomes clear that they are not dealing with any con artists, despite Will's insistence that they must be simply extremely well funded.

While Will attempts to "Scully" everything that he sees, Jake sets about trying to discover the story behind the woods and the enchanted tower that they find within it. The movie incorporates several minor fables such as Little Red Riding Hood, Hansel and Gretel, and even the Gingerbread Man in a rather surprising and odd scene. The special effects are all quite good, which makes the movie nice to look at, and I was happy to see that they weren't overdone or made to be the focus of the film. The two brothers are both on opposite ends of the spectrum in terms of their explanations for what is happening in the forest, which provides some tension and funny dialogue. Jake's character is easily the most likable in the movie, as he is a bit naive and ready to believe in magical occurences, but always follows his brother's lead.

The film maintains a definite light atmosphere throughout most of its scenes, but at times switches to suspenseful and even gruesome. I appreciated the light tone and humorous dialogue when it was there, but I liked that the filmmakers were able to keep things serious for the more suspenseful scenes, especially considering that the story itself is rather dark. There were a few elements of the story that weren't explained well enough and could have used a bit more attention, but on the whole I didn't have much trouble following the plot. I also felt that one of the characters, the Italian torture specialist Cavaldi (Peter Stormare), could have been toned down just a bit, as many viewers might find him on the annoying side at times. However, he was entertaining enough and got much less annoying toward the end.

I admit that The Brothers Grimm is definitely my kind of movie, so I'm somewhat predisposed to like it. I definitely don't think it's for everyone, as some might find the creative aspects a little too strange. But as far as suspenseful fantasies go, I thought this one was really pretty good.