IFDB Review: Brothers Grimm: The Fairytale Workprint, The:

This was a valiant attempt to salvage what is considered by many (including myself) to be a major disappointment from Terry Gilliam's filmography. I like a lot of things about the movie, first and foremost the cast, but it never feels like it gels into something that truly works. Unfortunately, even after all of the work that TM2YC put into fixing the film, I still feel the same way. It's just not as much fun as it should be. I was rather generous with my "enjoyment" rating, however, as this edit does not at all deserve to end up with a low overall rating. The amount of work put into this was staggering! Considering the generally poor quality of the available deleted scenes (most of them unfinished), they look and sound great cradled into the existing film. The editor built sound beds, fixed color timing, finished VFX, and cut these new scenes seamlessly into what was already there, and it's nearly perfect. Short of actual magical intervention, these scenes will never be fully on par with what the studio finished, but fear not, they're far from experience-ruining. They were also placed in logical spots, so as not to disrupt the flow of the narrative. This was both a blessing and a curse....on the one hand, they're mostly a lot of fun and dial the quirkiness up a notch (always a benefit when discussing Gilliam), but they also made this (IMO) already-dragging film into an even longer one. I would say that, if you liked the original film, there's no reason you shouldn't enjoy this version even more. But if, like me, you don't remember The Brothers Grimm fondly, this edit isn't going to change that. Either way, it's an impressive edit made even more mind-boggling when you actually see what went into bringing it to us. And how awesome is that cover?!

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