The Brothers Grimsby (DVD): Review

Film

Nobby (Sacha Baron Cohen) and Sebastian Graves (Mark Strong – Kingsman: The Secret Service, The Imitation Game) are siblings, The Brothers Grimsby. Sebastian is a secret agent, Nobby is just an idiot. For years Nobby has been searching for his brother, after they are separated as children at an orphanage. When Nobby finally finds Sebastian, he inadvertently compromises his mission. Now they two need to work together to both clear Sebastian’s name, and solve an important mission.

The cast of The Grimsby Brothers is a pretty decent list of actors. And with the opening sequences, one is sure to have hope of a pretty energetic action / spy movie, with over the top fights, gadgets, and plenty of action. But, this soon degenerates in to some very childish humour, of the gross kind. How one can go from watching a gentleman spy, to some of the most sickening scenes is a feat unto itself.

A good portion of the film is set in South Africa, so there are some sights to see of the country, and a smattering of local talent to be spotted. It’s just a pity under the circumstances, given the nature of some of the encounters to take place here in our little corner of Africa.

Disc

Overall, the disc quality is good. As for the main feature, this would certainly be a matter of one’s sense of humour, and subjective choice.

The Brothers Grimsby is available now, to purchase on disc, in South Africa.

Video

Video is encoded at a high bitrate. Colours are vibrant with no bleed, and blacks are deep. Detail in dark scenes is also good.

Users with the relevant hardware or software can scale the image up to a larger or higher resolution screen.

Audio

Sound is presented in a Dolby Digital 5.1 mix. Dialogue is clear, while the surrounds serve to further envelope the viewer, further drawing them into the story.

Navigation

Menu screens are static, but are easy to understand and navigate.

Bonus Features

Overall, the bonus features are short, although the “making of” and “elephant” feature do provide some good information for aspiring filmmakers.

Line O Rama: A short video of some of the cast trying different types of lines, probably improvised. At least half the lines are of the extreme toilet humour as the main feature itself.

Gag Reel: A short clip of out-takes, mostly of the cast laughing, and most of these again in the vein of the humour level of the main feature.

The Making Of The Brothers Grimsby: Some behind the scenes, with cast and crew, with director Louis Leterrier explaining his aim behind the film. Sadly, it doesn’t seem that this translated too well to screen, with the silly humour of the feature sadly overshadowing this. However, fans of Sacha Baron Cohen are sure to revel in each scene.

The Elephant In The Room: A closer look at one of the scenes of the film. And while this is sure to be of interest to those interested in prosthetics, again it is about the same humour standards as the rest of the disc and feature. This is however, from a filmmaking aspect, one of the more interesting bits of the whole disc.

Previews: There are trailers for The Night Before and Ghostbusters (Read the SAMDB Review of Ghostbusters here). These can also be accessed via the disc menu.

By Andrew Germishuys

Founder of SAMDB | Actor | Armourer | Tech Enthusiast With over two decades in the film industry, I'm a seasoned actor and skilled armourer. I hold numerous certifications in acting and filmmaking, complemented by degrees and diplomas in IT and technology, giving me a unique blend of creative and technical expertise. When I'm not on set or in the workshop, you'll find me immersed in the world of gaming and VR, fuelling my passion for cutting-edge technology. Connect with me: X / Twitter Facebook Instagram Mastodon Threads Explore my work on SAMDB IMDb

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