An anti-cinema prototype stacked with Oscar winners and nominees usurps Zendaya and James Bond on streaming

Recently, there have been whispers of a new advent in the streaming world wherein movies are getting made in a way that viewers will be able to go on their phone and still manage to keep up with the plot. I’ve yet to discern the weight of such claims, but the mere possibility is morbidly despicable.

It would be no surprise, of course. Between Uglies, Atlas, the Rebel Moon films, Killer Heat, Space Cadet, and countless others, there are too many streaming films that seem to be okay with being undiluted slop worthy of the “content” pejorative. Brothers, however, takes it to a whole other level; a level that could most aptly be dubbed as “anti-cinema,” and whose implications are both utterly fascinating and something that we want nothing to do with.

Nevertheless, the denizens of Prime Video are eating it right up. Per FlixPatrol, this day of Oct. 18 has seen the Max Barbakow-directed action comedy climb to second place on Prime Video’s worldwide film charts, exceeding the likes of James Bond masterclass No Time to Die, and Challengers, the Zendaya-led romantic drama that looks destined for an awards season run.

Speaking of awards season, the number of Oscar wins and nominations among the cast of Brothers is an imposing one, with the likes of Marisa Tomei, Glenn Close, and Brendan Fraser all shoring up a cast led by Peter Dinklage and Josh Brolin. In the film, twins Moke (Brolin) and Jady (Dinklage), who come from a family of criminals, join forces after many years of estrangement for one last heist.

Brothers is fascinating in the sense that it is absolutely the cinematic equivalent of a jumbo jet pileup on a tarmac made of horse manure, and yet, it boasts a disarming awareness of its own inconsequentiality. The action is thoroughly uninteresting and the comedy is equally flat, but it’s somehow to the point where Brothers would actually be improved if there was no effort whatsoever to be funny or interesting.

The reason for this is that the actors mostly treat each scene as though the characters understand that it’s a scene in a movie, rather than anything that’s actually happening to them. As a result, the tension inherent in both storytelling and comedy is completely non-existent, and Brothers finds a way to ever-so-slightly lean into its lack of tension. In this way, it’s less a film and more an instance of watching actors on a playground; think Marvel Studios’ What If…?, except instead of telling out-of-canon stories with Marvel superheroes, it’s with Oscar nominees.

Still, this isn’t a movie that you will benefit from spending time with. Fraser’s transformation into a cartoon character of a villain is entertaining enough, but if you actually want to feel emotionally rewarded from an action comedy viewing, toss on The Fall Guy instead. It once held the viewership silver medal that Brothers does right now, and unlike Brothers, The Fall Guy is actually worthy of your time.

But for the love of all that is good and creatively nutritious, just find some way to get Killer Heat down from the top of the charts, and quit predicating your movie choices on whether or not it pairs nicely with TikTok scrolling.