BRANDED is like the advertising that distorts the truth.   It is a film that looks good from the trailers only to be a cluttered mess which would have been a little better if it was a satire on advertising and branding.  Ed Stoppard comes off as the poor man’s David Tennant while Leelee Sobieski and Max Von Sydow probably did the movie to get a vacation to Russia or at least a pay check.   The last two actors have been in better films than BRANDED and I hope they star in less crap (IN THE NAME OF THE KING and JUDGE DREDD are better movies than BRANDED even though people really bring down on both films).  This film turns into a Z grade mess you should skip renting or buying.   The advertising didn’t fulfill the promise of seeing an actually good movie.  Instead BRANDED is a badly written and directed movie.  

For those who wonder what BRANDED is about, it is about a Russian ad exec named Misha who sees things differently and he thinks his gift as an ad man is a curse.  He gets involved with the daughter of his boss and everything starts to go wrong starting with the star of the new extreme cosmetic show going into a coma and everyone turning against Misha.   The events leads to his self exile from society until he gets a vision that changes things for him as he uses his gift to pit brands against each other.   The plot sounds good on paper, but it ends up as a badly written mess with talented actors.  I would have loved to see interaction between Ed Stoppard and Max Von Sydow, but instead you get Max von Sydow on some remote island giving advice to fast food companies who are in risk of losing their bottom line.   I just find it hard to believe that Misha’s actions leads to the ending.  It is like a X grade wish fulfillment fairy tale without a great script or satire.    The directing is better than Ed wood, but that isn’t saying much since the script is dreadful.

SPECIAL FEATURES:

Co-writers/ co-producers/ co-directors Jamie Bradshaw and Aleksandr Dulerayn admit on the audio commentary that they couldn’t make BRANDED a satire and they had to play it like a serious drama.   They also say it is an art film project they hope makes a lot of money.

Rounding out the extras are two theatrical trailers that are better than the movie and previews for other releases from Lionsgate.

FINAL ANALYSIS:   BRANDED might have been a better movie if the filmmakers didn’t take the movie so seriously or written a better script.  Instead they end up with a cluttered mess you should skip.   Just catch the trailers on the internet and see what the movie isn’t.

This DVD review is (c)1-19-2012 David Blackwell and cannot be reprinted without permission.  Send all comments to feedback@enterline-media.com