I finally got around to watching The Brothers Grimm, and interesting movie that caught my attention when it was released in 2005. I didn’t know it at the time, but it turns out it was directed by Terry Gilliam (of Monty Python fame).

The Brothers Grimm is set in France-occupied Germany during the Napoleonic era. It follows Jacob and Wilhelm Grimm, two con artists who travel from village to village “exorcising” monsters and witches in return for considerable sums of money, who run into a genuine case of enchantment. They have to fight magical beings and enchanted forest to rid the village of Marbaden of the Mirror Queen’s curse.

The movie has a somewhat historical feel, and it blends elements from the actual Grimm brothers’ fairy tales into the story, along with some of Terry Gilliam’s signature touch. It’s interesting to watch, and it’s pulled off well.

Note: Do not be deceived by the term “fairy tale.” The film is dark and a bit creepy at times. It draws upon the works of the Grimms, not the watered-down “light” stories popularized by Disney. It certainly deserves its PG-13 rating.

After watching the movie, I checked out the deleted scenes. One of the cut scenes, in particular, was intriguing. It seemed like a parody of the Whomping Willow scene from the third Harry Potter movie. It was very similar, and absolutely hilarious to watch. Sadly, Terry Gilliam didn’t have much interesting to say about the clip, other than that it was “expensive.” I have to assume that it was a (great) attempt at parodying the Whomping Willow, but I’d like to hear more about it.

The bottom line is that The Brothers Grimm is a unique and enjoyable movie, definitely worth adding to the old Netflix queue.