Rating: 
Summary: Best French-Horror-Courtesan-Martial Arts-Film OF THE YEAR!
Review: So, your asking is this a brilliant melange or an ungainly mess? The answer is "Brotherhood of the Wolf" is both, depending on your temperment. For me, this was a wonderfully fun, lush and exquisitely photographed film. It is also rather violent and loud (which could be good or bad as well depending on your disposition...it really pushed me to the limits of my tolerence personally.) The fight scenes are very well coreographed and shot. This is a visual feast. Gans' camera really captured the feeling of an 18th century Pyrenees village steeped in a supernatural crisis. I was continuially reminded of the British Hammer movies of the 60's which were also exquisitely stylish and lush. It is wonderful to see this genre re-invented. As with Hammer films, it's best to take everything tounge in cheek. The movie hinges critically on the viewer's suspension of disbelief; start questioning its plausability and the movie will fall apart. The acting is quite fine (Belgian actress Emile Duquenne is particularly wonderful as is Simon LeBihan.) Enjoy it for what it is, a beautifully shot, exquisitely stylish and literate piece of campy cinema. Certainly not high art by any stetch of the imagination, but a delightful thrill ride if you're open to it. And one further comment for the francophiles, the subtitles are bien faible. They make the dialouge seem much more juvenille than it really is. Don't read them.
Rating: 
Summary: OK not great
Review: It was good up until half way thru. First, it wasnt based on true events, it was based on an old french fable. Camera work and costumes were great, plot was good, nice twists and turns but badly executed! I was almost embarassed at how cheezy it was at times. I know this wasnt a comedy but I laughed several times! It delves into all this subplot that would have worked better if it didnt try to come off as this serious/melodrama/hollywood action flick.
Rating: 
Summary: Original Idea With Brilliant Cinematography
Review: What will strike you first is the cinematography of the breathtaking French countryside, and overall, this is the best part of the film.The acting is very good, the idea and script incredibly original. However, there is one point where the plot turns and becomes amazingly ridiculous. In particular, one fight scene between our hero, avenging his brother's death and our villian, a wounded Count, is so over the top preposterous, including the dialogue (which, being subtitled, is a very hard thing to do I would think), that the entire audience burst in to laughter, and trust me, this scene has nothing amusing going on in it. Overall, it is worth seeing. I think perhaps this film got to "Hollywood" for itself which is a shame but it is beautiful none-the-less.
Rating:
Summary: Wait for cable...
Review: I will admit it: I wasn't hyped to see (or shall I say read) this movie. I generally dislike subtitled films, but Crouching Tiger made me think twice about skipping a movie strictly because it is subtitled. Here's my thoughts: 1. Way too much Matrix-Kung Fu-SlowMo-Cam. The action would have been much better if every single fight didn't have this. There can be too much of a good thing. 2. It seemed like the director was trying a little bit TOO hard to develop every single character. He could have chopped at least 30 minutes of the film by getting rid of useless background. 3. The story is good...very good. There is an originality you don't see very often...Perhaps the director could have filled some plot holes instead of giving us a bunch of background that doesn't mean anything? 4. I'm sorry, but did they *have* to make "the beast" look like an ROUS (rodent of unusual size) from the Princess Bride? 5. 10 minutes of staring at a boat was completely useless. 6. Some of the fades and wipes are extraordinary...Look for them. 7. Be prepared to be disappointed at least three times that the movie isn't over. 8. The acting is impeccable. Bravo to the casting director. All in all, I liked this movie. It wasn't a complete waste of time, yet it doesn't live up to all the hype. I recommend waiting until it comes out on cable.
Rating: 
Summary: HOLLYWOOD ARE YOU WATCHING?
Review: Apparently based on a true story (or at least a true myth) Brotherhood of The Wolf is a wonderful movie full of surprises. Part pre-revolutionary French period drama (complete with scantily clad peasant maidens with heaving bosoms and creepy aristocrats), part political allegory, part martial arts movie, and complete with gothic trimmings (a la Hammer House of Horror - secret societies, castles and candle-lit cellars etc.). Brotherhood of The Wolf is no euro art-house movie but it really is a must see. I'm not generally a fan of foreign movies but that's probably because this is only the third foreign movie I've seen on the big screen (the other two were 'Crouching Tiger Hidden Dragon' And 'Amelie'). This movie received such universal high praise that I just felt compelled to go and see it and I must admit that although I initially struggled with the subtitles during the more conversation filled early scenes, after only twenty minutes I had completely forgotten that I was watching a foreign movie with subtitles, so immersed was I in the movie. I don't want to give too much of the plot away, particularly as part of the joy of this movie is its surprise element - just when you think you have the movie sussed it moves in a different direction. Set in France, in 1776, and entirely told in flashback, an unknown and rarely seen beast is terrorising the French rural district of Gevaudan, by killing its women and children. So, King Louis XV dispatches young scientist Gregoire de Fronsac (Samuel Le Bihan) accompanied his Iroquoi native American companion, Mani (Mark Dacascos) to find the uber wolf. On arriving in Gevaudon they find that the soldiers previously sent to catch the beast are more adept at terrorising the locals than they are at hunting, and that region is in a state of complete panic. Director Christophe Gans serves up a stylish period thriller and exhilarating ride, perfectly capturing the period, beautifully photographing the landscapes, seamlessly combined with action scenes of great style and surreal originality. When we are first introduced to de Fronsac and Mani masked and on horseback in the driving rain (a la Dangerous Liasons), they happen across an old man and his whorish daughter being beaten and bullied by brutish soldiers. Cue a change of direction from period drama to action kick ass action movie as Mani delivers a very sound and stylish beating to the thugs, seamlessly directed with the combination of slo-mo and real time action. This is the movie that Tim Burton's 'Sleepy Hollow' could have been and should have been. Although the beast special effects (from Jim Henson's workshop( are not the best and perhaps slightly overlong, this is an excellent and very gripping movie, beautifully filmed and directed with superb action and superb acting. Monica Bellucci sizzles as a rather shapely and very attractive high class prostitute. The handsome (in a chunky Gallic way) Samuel Le Bihan makes an great leading man and he is ably supported by the excellent Vincent Cassell (as a menacing one armed aristocrat) and the radiant Emilie Dequenne, as the virtuous Marianne. However, it is Mark Dacascos (Driven) who steals the show as de Fronsacs blood brother Mani. With striking good looks, charisma, and a great deal of both physical presence and martial arts skills, coupled with his acting ability, he lights up the screen and given the opportunity he will go on from here to be an international star. Personally I can't wait until the movie is available on DVD. Apparently Ang Lee described 'Crouching Tiger Hidden Dragon as Bruce Lee meets Jane Austen', this is much more than Dangerous Liasons meets John Woo meets Hammer House of Horror. This is a real gem of a movie that I am so glad I 'discovered'. Stunningly original in its combination of styles and genres and a great example to Hollywood of what they should be producing. Very entertaining!!! (See it now before they make a horrible English language remake).
Rating:
Summary: The Hottest in Action, Visuals and Suspense.
Review: This movie kicked bootie, period. The fight scenes were better than anything out there plus the scenery was awesome. People sitting around me at the theatre were all sitting up entranced with the movie!Also, it has some nice looking women in the movie too. 5 stars all the way.
Rating: 
Summary: too many confusing elements yields one weird flick.
Review: after reading the reviews posted here, i went to see this movie on opening night. it was one of the *worst* movies i've seen in a long time. a combination of french history, martial arts, x-files, and the muppets, the film was an absurdly confusing clash of cinematic themes and elements. while the fighting scenes were good, some of the battles were so ridiculous that many people in the theater burst out laughing. for example, when the identity of the evil protagonist is finally revealed, he inexplicably sprouts superhuman abilities, and fantastical weapons that make no sense at all (except that perhaps the special effects folks were experimenting with new cg effects). it's almost as if the directors wanted to make several movies, but, afraid of never getting funded again, decided to take their favorite parts of every movie they wanted to make and mash them all together in one film. ugh. wait for the dvd, if you must.
Rating:
Summary: One of the most original films I've seen in years!
Review: When I first saw the trailers for Brotherhood of the Wolf, I also thought it was about a werewolf. The movie is more complex than the trailers would lead you to believe, which isn't a bad thing. Most movie trailers now give away SO much of the plots, you often feel that you've seen the high points in the preview. This is not the case for this movie, thankfully! The technical aspects of the movie in themselves are amazing: the cinematography is exciting and often looks dreamlike in its execution, the costumes, landscapes and interiors are all richly colored and breathtaking to behold. The music is an excellent fit for the story and really adds much to the movie's sense of mystery and tension. The director and the production team have pulled together an outstanding mixture of film genres: action, romance, terror/horror, mystery, and even politics. All this in an interesting and highly compelling package. Be warned ahead of time: there are some very graphic scenes of combat that might be too much if you're squeamish. The violence is not gratuitous, but it is very, very intense. The action scenes are some of the best I've seen in any movie in some time. This film will appeal to many kinds of moviegoers, which is a great plus for French cinema, which has been stereotyped or pigeonholed for decades as being too cerebral and too focused on dialogue and emotions. Brotherhood of the Wolf I think is a really turning point, bringing French talent to the world screen for all of us to enjoy again and again. I look forward to seeing Christophe Gans' next effort. By the way I didn't find the subtitles distracting, even though I speak French. Some subtitled films can be more of a distraction when you speak and read the language. Not the case here. Would like to own this on DVD, where I could turn the subtitles off and enjoy the richness that is the French language. C'est superb! Allons-y au cinema....
Rating:
Summary: WOW!
Review: I just saw Brotherhood Of The Wolf this weekend, it just opened in the US and I have to say that I thought the film was amazing. Visually the film is completely stunning, including the landscapes, the costumes and the use of color, weather, and interesting cinematography, lots of slow-mo and trippy visuals. The action sequences rival the best that I have seen over the years and believe me I am a big action film fan. I also thought that the plot was very interersting (partially based in historic events) and good lengths were taken to preserve the identity of the beast/enemy for the majority of the film. I would recommmend this film to anyone who enjoys the latest in action/fight choreography and anyone who enjoys visually and aesthetically pleasing movies. The dialogue could have been a little better, but then again I did watch it in subtitles, and the portrayal of Dascosos' American Indian Mani, though awesome in fight scenes, was a little over the top. But most definately go see this film, it was outstanding.
Rating:
Summary: Tell the Mummy to step aside for Les Loups!
Review: Brotherhood of the Wolf is best described as a period horror film like The Mummy or Bram Stoker's Dracula.
As a period drama the first half of Brotherhood is extremely successful. As a horror film like Jaws or Alien, Brotherhood is very well done. As a martial arts film Brotherhood is fantastic.
The question is; can one movie be all these things without becoming a jumbled mess?
Although it walks a thin line between sublime and absurd Brotherhood comes out looking pretty good especially if you don't take it too seriously. The danger is that a movie this beautifully shot and with so much historical baggage absolutely begs to be taken seriously.
I would have liked to see one or two of the plot twists at the end of the movie either surgically removed or expanded upon as they seem a little tacked on in their present state. More happens in the last 5 minutes of the film than in the first 2 hours!
Other than that Brotherhood of the Wolf is a shining spectacle that rivals even this year's Fellowship of the Ring. And is certainly one the most most interesting horror films ever made.
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