Movie Review. Two Brothers.

I remember first seeing the trailers for this movie. Instantly I was interested in seeing it. I can't say why, family movies about cuddly animals usually don't interest me too much, but this one seemed different. It may have had something to do with the director, Jean-Jacques Annaud. I have liked a few of his past films like Seven Years in Tibet, Enemy at the Gate, and Name of the Rose. He also directed The Bear, a film, obviously, about a bear. That lat one I remember seeing many years ago and being bored by it. Anyway, this one interested me and I got the chance to see it.



One thing to remember going in, this is not real. Don't be fooled into thinking this is how tigers act in the wild. As Roger Ebert stated in his review: "makes the tigers approximately as realistic as the animals in The Lion King." That aside, the natural scenery is gorgeous, the tigers take on a life of their own which the kids will love. The adult story on the other hand is a bit weak. Something I tried to do while watching the movie was to try and watch it as a member of the target audience.

The story follows Kumal and Sangah as they are cubs and sadly separated by tomb raider Aidan McRory, who turns from bad guy to hero. The cubs grow up separated, and eventually they are reunited in a cage battle for entertainment. The characters are of the stereotype cookie cutter variety, but that's not what we're there for. Guy Pearce is the human star playing Aidan, who grows attached to one of the cubs, and feels responsible for the predicament latter in the film.

This is possibly the best family film I have seen this year. There are a few scenes which may be a bit intense for the youngest children, but they will love seeing the adorable cubs exploring the wild, and watching them grow. There is a young boy in the film too which gives the kids a stronger connection, someone to identify with onscreen. There were some children in attendance at the screening I was at, and they all seemed to love it. "Scratch his face!" "Bite him!" "Yeah!" among other things were called out at the screen, signifying obvious approval.
Recommended