Rikter, dang,bro...I got to disagree with your friends of Brotherhood. See it. Brotherhood of the Wolf, some of the action scenes in it are better than nearly any movie I've seen...honest. Most reviews called it a french version of the matrix and Crouching Tiger. Your friends may have seen it in the theatres as Le pacte de Loupes with english subtitles as did I. On DVD there is an English dub, not a great one but it's less distracting. While there is some fluff in it. I promise, they are some mind-blowing fight scenes in this movie, with things the matrix didn't even think to do. The "wolf" CG is not great (on par with Jar-Jar maybe) and is minorly distracting, but trust me Rik...download it and let me know what you think. Though there is a fight scene in the deleted scenes that is extended and truly spectacular.

My favorite movie review site is Rotten Tomatoes, where you get a snapshot of all major reviewers. Check here (73% of 107 reviews gave it positive ratings)

Brotherhood of the Wolf - Rotten Tomatoes

My favorite DVD review site is DVD Talk, they're reviews are so thorough going over audio, picture, commentaries, deleted scenes, etc.

American 2-disc DVD review

Here it is given, as a movie, 3.5/5 stars and 4 stars for video and audio

The opening paragraph:

"The Brotherhood Of the Wolf" is one of the most beautifully filmed, over-the-top, chaotic and fascinating films I've seen in quite some time. It is a horror film, it is a martial arts picture, it is a period piece, it is a mystery, it is many things and remarkably, the ambitious epic largely succeeds at any genre it touches. The film is reportedly based upon the real "Beast of Gevaudan", which terrorized the French countryside in the 1700's, but the film takes that tale and launches the story into something that, while not perfect, is delightfully ridiculous and wholly entertaining.

More:

The film's look, tone and atmosphere are also extraordinary. The fight sequences certainly are one of the aspects that benefit most from the film's extraordinary cinematography and editing. Superb trickery, such as variable motion, freeze frames and other aspects really give many scenes a very dynamic and visually rich appearance.

My argument for editing which they reiterate:

The film isn't without flaws, though: the 144-minute tale is clearly trying for an epic feel, but occasionally goes on a little too long for its own good, making for a few patches scattered throughout the movie where the pace drags somewhat. Small moments of the story could have also used either some filling out or clarification.

Lastly the Canadian release got the site's Highly Recommended title, which they give out on about 1/100 discs.
3-disc Canadian Release

I guess I am begging you Rikter to see it for yourself.