Creature double feature fails to strike fear in audiences
- by Joshua Rouse: A&E Editor

Giant underground bats, beautiful immortal witches, ghosts and goblins, oh my. Sound like a Halloween marathon on television? Actually, it was the order of the day for another miserable week at the box office. “The Brothers Grimm” and “The Cave” each debuted to mixed and sometimes horrible reviews. Even more discouraging were the reactions they received at the box office. “The Brothers Grimm” debuted at only $15 million, despite the star power of Matt Damon (“Rounders”), Heath Ledger (“A Knight’s Tale”) and Monica Bellucci (“Passion of the Christ”). “The Cave, ”starring Cole Hauser (“Paparazzi”) garnered only $6 million on its opening weekend. This all but seals the fate of one of the worst summer seasons on record. The Labor Day weekend marks the end of the season, with “The Transporter 2,” “A Sound of Thunder” and “Underclassman” debuting.

“The Brothers Grimm” is Hollywood’s version of the events that inspired the famous authors to pen stories such as “Cinderella” and “Hansel and Gretel.” Matt Damon is Will Grimm with Heath Ledger as his brother, Jake Grimm. Together, the Brothers Grimm travel from village to village in Napoleon-era France, ridding them of enchanted beings. Too bad the brothers are only con artists.

Their escapades reach the ears of Napoleon Bonaparte himself, who enlists them to rid a forest of such enchanted beings. It turns out there is an evil sorceress (Belucci) in the woods stealing the youths of the village to keep herself immortal. The brothers must put their heads together to come up with a plan to defeat the evil witch.

Famous for the apocalyptic thriller “12 Monkeys” and “Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas,” director Terry Gilliam helms this fantasy adventure. His feature film debut came in the form of the hilarious “Monty Python and the Holy Grail” which remains a classic 30 years after it was first released. His other films include the very strange but touching Robin Williams drama, “The Fisher King” and “The Adventures of Baron Munchausen.”

Although it does not have the quality of “12 Monkeys” or the laughs of “Monty Python and the Holy Grail,” “The Brothers Grimm” still makes for an entertaining two hours. Beware; it does drag on in places. At certain points in the movie, it seems as if time slows to a stop and the movie will never pick up. But those moments are few and far between. “The Brothers Grimm” is a good movie to see for just a fun-filled afternoon. But if you are looking for a good quality movie to enjoy, wait for the home video release; this one isn’t really worth the cost of a movie ticket.

The other fright fest to debut was the claustrophobic horror movie, “The Cave.” A group of spelunkers disappears in a massive underwater cave system. So with no more knowledge than that, another team is sent in to find these missing spelunkers. They soon find their escape route blocked and another presence they did not anticipate. Much like your cookie cutter horror movies, each of the characters is slowly picked off in different PG-13 rated ways by these strange creatures.

“The Cave” marked the feature film debut of Bruce Hunt. He was the second unit producer on “The Matrix,” but had little or no prior experience in movies. It shows in this one. The plot sounds convincing; the special effects and scenery are spectacular. The only problem is the directing of the movie. In a word, it is horrible. And there is nothing to help it, aside from a few thrilling but predictable moments.

Nothing has debuted worth putting down your $10 at the ticket stand. Entering the fall season, the flashy movies will begin to trail off. They will be replaced by more dramatic and Oscar-caliber movies. It looks to be another slow season, with no “Million Dollar Baby” to grace the screen. Perhaps we will all be pleasantly surprised.