Terry Gilliam's new fantasy film about the brothers Grimm takes the audience back to 19th century Europe where we meet the fairytale-spinning siblings.

Jacob (Heath Ledger) and Wilhelm (Matt Damon) are the brothers, a pair of trickster ghost hunters in French-occupied Germany who make money out of gullible peasants for slaying imaginary ghouls.

French general Delatombe (Jonathan Pryce) discovers their cheating ways and sets them a challenge of his own - to investigate the abduction of ten young children.

Much to the brothers' concern this fairytale turns out to be the real thing and the siblings are under pressure to sort it out.

The action then switches in and out of the remote forest where the children are disappearing, taken by a 500-year-old undead queen (Monica Bellucci).

This wacky film will be a disappointment for Gilliam fans.

Sometimes the slapstick is so over the top it borders on becoming a pantomime and the lack of structure leaves a feeling of chaos which is just too much.

But there are good points - Ledger and Damon prove to be a good double act as the siblings, drawing some laughs - save for the British accents, which occasionally slip.