The Brothers Grimm

For how good it is, it received surprisingly little appreciation. Without a doubt, this is one of the films that has entertained me the most, made me laugh the most, and helped me disconnect from everything more than almost anything else I have ever seen. I think it is a tremendously underrated movie. It is a shameless copy, a kind of mix between 'Snow White' and 'Sleeping Beauty', a fantasy fairy tale straight out of Disney. Either that, or it is heavily based on both works. Even so, it manages to sell me its story and its characters without complications. And that already deserves credit. What is curious is exactly that: despite being such an obvious blend of references we all know, I still feel like I watched something refreshing. There is no fatigue or boredom here. I enjoy everything that Terry Gilliam and Ehren Kruger bring to the table. I even enjoy those visual effects that have clearly aged and undeniably show the passage of time, yet at the same time remain surprisingly effective within the context of what the film is trying to do. I do not have many bad things to say about this movie. In fact, when I look at both popular and professional criticism, I am genuinely surprised by how little positive reception it received. There are films that make me feel like I am wasting my time; this one does exactly the opposite. This is not just a simple recycling of fairy tales. There is something more underneath all that fantastical surface. This is also the story of two brothers forced to strengthen their relationship through their differences and conflicts. Alongside them are secondary characters who try to be villains but still end up being likable. And of course, because this kind of story would not be complete without it, there is the attractive woman who cannot decide which one to choose. Everything is familiar, but it works. The film also drops interesting ideas beneath all that fairy-tale imagery: beauty as something corruptible, old age as the enemy of appearance, power as an obsession that rots those who pursue it. What interests me most is how it intertwines realistic human drama with a fantastical and surreal story. That combination could have been bizarre or even a complete mess, but instead, everything comes together with unexpected naturalness. Matt Damon and Heath Ledger are not simply narrative devices; they feel like real people chasing something. There is an enviable charisma between them. I find myself glued to the screen watching them. Their friendship is genuinely enviable. Monica Bellucci is an actress with an admirable acting range. I cannot help but think about how brutal and tragic her role was in 'Irreversible', and then see her here, only a few years later, transformed into the fairy-tale beauty of “mirror, mirror.” Lena Headey and Peter Stormare are also very solid. My only issue with the performances is that the character arcs never really rise above the standard story being told. Gilliam does a very good job here with fantasy cinema. I have no idea how the rest of his filmography holds up, but this is a strong starting point. Even though the effects have aged, the 3D animation, the editing, and the overall visual treatment are effective. It is not a film that can really boast about its visual details, but there is nothing here to be embarrassed about either. My main criticism lies in the inconsistency between spaces, perspectives, and lighting in some of the scenic transitions; there are noticeable logical flaws. The good thing is that they do not hurt the final result. The personality is clear, strong, and distinctive, even if it is not particularly original. The narrative structure is as standard as it gets. There are no great ambitions or grand flourishes in the script. The adventure unfolds on very familiar ground. The dialogue is simple, and there are no surprises. I can anticipate everything that is going to happen just by reading the synopsis. Even so, it remains a fluid and effective piece of entertainment. I cannot demand huge narrative complexity from something like this. What compensates for that is the cinematography, which completely wins me over. The dark aesthetic, the immersive settings, those painterly skies, the vivid colors inside such a genuinely dark universe… it is a delight. Visually, I am more than satisfied. The atmosphere pulls me in. A fantastic film that has me engaged from beginning to end. There is no disconnection for me. I genuinely struggle to understand how little it appealed to general audiences.

A good movie with some bad mid 00's CGI. It has a decent plot and some pretty good acting. This was released before the trend of making all fairy tale stories resemble the original darker versions, so it felt much fresher watching this back in 2005 than it does today.