Zwei Brüder

Am rarely moved to comment on what others say here, but Sarah from Canada's mindless and cynical response to TWO BROTHERS can't go unchallenged. Though far from perfect, I found this movie to be exceptionally entertaining on all accounts. Sarah claims there's no story, no characters, no moral ... on and on. Well, what she says is a complete crock: there is a story: it's about the two tiger brothers who are taken from their jungle home. The two main characters are not human, and I guess the fact that they don't have dialogue presented quite an obstacle for Sarah because she doesn't seem to have followed their story and its moral/ethical significance. Since the movie plays out like a fairy tale, realism here is not the point, hence the broad human characterizations. Rather, the most successful parts of the film allows us to view the world from the animals' eyes, and in doing so we experience their feelings, memories, and needs. I found this to be entertaining and at times quite moving. The film makers ennoble these tiger characters with such power and respect, I find it utterly mystifying that anyone could miss this as being the major point of the film. Please do not let negative comments like the ones from Sarah keep you from watching this terrific movie.

Jean-Jacques Annaud's films always showcases animals doing extremely amazing things, which is why they are so enjoyable. While this is a film better seen by children of certain age group, it's not a Disney product, and parents should be aware of that fact. Some comments in this IMDb forum criticize the film makers for what they perceive was a marketing ploy that targeted the movie to small children. Perhaps the people that promoted the film are to be blamed for that, or maybe Mr. Annaud was targeting the film for a more mature audience.

"Two Brothers" is a story about two tigers that are separated at a young stage of their lives, while their parents are killed by people that loved to engage in this type of hunting. The two little cubs are about the best in the film as one see them getting in all kinds of adventures in the first part of the film.

The story behind the animals serves the film as it provides an accessible background as it illustrates the inter action between humans and animals. Guy Pearce and Freddie Highmore are seen in the film as Aidan and Raoul. Freddie Highmore is a child actor with an expressive face that shows a child of great intelligence without any trace of ego.

As Mr. Annaud proved with "The Bear", he has a good eye for involving the animals in his stories about them with surprising results.

Two tiger cubs are born deep in the jungles of French Indo-China. The tiger cubs are growing up among ancient temple ruins, which will bring the outside world to their home. One of the tiger cubs is gentle in nature and the other is brave. One of the tiger cubs is captured when a famous hunter (Guy Pearce) goes to the temple to loot its statues. A circus buys the tiger cub for its tiger act. The circus trainer uses force to make him jump through a hoop of fire and be a true tiger act. Later, the other cub is captured, and the regional administrator gives the tiger to his son. The tiger cub tears up the house and has a conflict with their dog, so the boy is forced to give the tiger away to the king's animal museum. A year later, the two brothers are matched against each other to fight in the king's arena. The storyline about tigers in the wild and what can happen to them is somewhat ok. It is not a totally cheerful movie, but I did enjoy the parts where the tiger cubs were being brothers, and the ending. (Universal Pictures, Run time 1:48, Rated PG) (5/10)

WOW!!!! OK, I will confess up front that I am prejudiced. I am a wildlife artist with a lifetime love of tigers and have even had the awesome opportunity to play with 3 10-week old tiger brothers. I loved this movie, not just for the obvious reasons of being a tiger loving artist that loves all animal films anyway. This movie was making a statement regarding how these beautiful creatures are being hunted to extinction!

How sad to have to hunt down and kill an animal to prove your manhood or to use them for mistaken ancient beliefs where their bodyparts are used for medicine. Granted they aren't harmless, but men continue to encroach on the wild areas all over the world without thought of the animals and ecosystems, of the beauty they destroy.

No, I'm not an overzealous environmentalist belonging to Greenpeace or PETA, though they have the right idea...just a little too far left for me. Still, looking at the awesome, beautiful world God has given us, its sad to see animals hunted to extinction for no reason other than to show everyone that you can pull a trigger. Ooooooooooo, big amount of talent for that.

This movie, besides its message of the dwindling numbers of tigers left in the wild and why they are endangered, was an absolute joy. How some of these shots of the tigers, as they grew, were obtained, I have no idea. But it was great, in fact, I love it, the tigers got billing over the human actors!

It's the story of 2 tiger cubs that are captured when a hunter kills their father and they become separated from their mother. They then become separated from each other, one going to a hunter and eventually ending up in a circus run by people that seem to think animal cruelty is the only way to train an animal. The other winds up in a family with a loving little boy, but eventually outgrows his welcome and ends up in a private zoo, also being mistreated. The tigers meet again, when for some sick idea of sport, the 2 tigers are set against each other in a fight to the death. Then the brothers recognize each other. I won't ruin it for you. Just know that it does have a good ending!

I was impressed that there is a tag at the end of the movie, one that is quite true. In the early 1900's there were over 100,000 tigers in the wild, now there are less than 400-200. Three species are already extinct. See the information from a website:

Bengal Tiger – Panthera tigris tigris Siberian (Amurian) Tiger – Panthera tigris altaica Sumatran Tiger – Panthera tigris sumatrae Indo-Chinese Tiger – Panthera tigris corbetti South China Tiger – Panthera tigris amoyensis Javan Tiger – Panthera tigris sondaica – extinct since early 1980's

Bali Tiger – Panthera tigris balica – extinct since the 1940's

Caspian Tiger – Panthera tigris virgata – extinct since the early 1970's

Watch the movie, it will warm your heart, make you smile and perhaps even shed a tear. If you would like to help save tigers, in the wild or aid the ones that needlessly wind up in rescue organizations. Thank God for them! People seem to think it would be cool to have a tiger, or other big cat, for a pet, then seem surprised that they grow into 500-700+ pound meat eaters! I own several house cats...these smaller guys have a whole lot in common with their 'big' brothers and I have the scars to prove it. (Not that they are mean, I just get in the way of their racetrack sometimes)

Still, tigers are wild animals and not meant to be pets! If nothing else, even if you have raised one, they don't know their own strength...just ask Roy Horn of Siefried and Roy fame. I doubt that tiger meant any harm to Roy, but the tiger sensed Roy was in danger and tried to carry him to safety the same way she would carry a cub...by the scruff of the neck.

That being said...don't try to raise one, but please try to help the ones in rescue shelters that desperately need the funds to care for these tigers that can't be released back into the wild. Or help the remaining few in the wild.

Two brothers is a uniquely great movie. Although some may criticize it for the depiction of cruelty to animals, the movie is not advocating cruelty or teaching kids wrong lessons. You begin to love the tigers from the very first second you see them on screen, and your heart breaks every time something happens to them. The movie isn't an insult to our species, it tells us and shows us how we have wronged nature in the past, and promotes us to fix our past transgressions. By seeing the cute (EXTREMELY cute) tigers harassed on screen, kids will definitely develop a passion for the conservation of wildlife and will develop a general humaneness towards other creatures. Although some scenes are disturbing and could scare children, the movie does a good job of keeping them interested, worried, and warmed in the end. Even though Guy Pearce delivers another sub-par performance, adults are not the stars of the film. This movie will definitely play with your emotions, and some may not be able to handle it, but be assured, the movie may leave you spent, but it'll leave you blissful. I enjoyed every second, from the warmth of the playing tigers cubs to the stabbing pain when any of them got hurt. I spent the credits with tears running down my face. If you are in touch with yourself, this movie will not disappoint.