Brave (2012)

Genre: Animation, Action, Adventure, Comedy, Family, Fantasy

Release Date: June 22, 2012

My Rating:  
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Brave is not one of Pixar's best films, but it's fairly good; it's charming, good-hearted, a bit witty, visually stunning, and has a likable heroine protagonist.

Pixar has returned to the big screen with Brave, which I saw in the theater today, and I liked it.  It was hot today, so I was glad to spend an hour and a half in an air-conditioned theater with a soda and watching an enjoyable movie.

Brave is the story of Merida, a young red-haired princess and aspiring archer who is unhappy with her life as a princess.  She doesn't like living the controlled and restricted life that she's living.  When she is asked by her mother to choose between three possible husbands (she is at a marriageable age), she is even more upset.  She eventually flees into the woods, and soon comes upon a cottage (led there by magical blue wisps), where she meets a witch.  She begs for a magic spell to change her mother's mind, but it doesn't exactly go according to how Merida wants it...  This eventually leads to unintended chaos that threatens not only Merida's mother, but also the kingdom.

In my opinion, Brave is definitely not one of Pixar's best films.  But it's far from Pixar's worst.  It's not as good as I hoped it would be, but it's actually fairly good.  The story isn't creative or anything, but it's enjoyable and charming, and it has some good moral messages.  It's a medieval-type story, with a bit of fantasy (magic), but it has some modern elements in it.  The humor isn't as good as it usually is in Pixar films, but its effective and witty at times.  The film handles its emotional aspects pretty well also.  Just like Pixar's other films, Brave is very much a family movie, and it's good-hearted.  The actors all put on effective voice performances.  The music score is pretty good. The animation in the film is some of the best animation I've ever seen.  It's visually stunning.  And it's not just eye candy, it actually helps with the emotional and narrative aspects of the film, like it's supposed to.  Overall, the movie isn't original or creative, but it has a pretty good uniqueness about it.

What I liked most about the movie was Merida herself.  She's stubborn, spunky, and strong-willed, and quite likable in personality.  She's also a bit physically attractive.  She is a good CGI character, especially her hair.  Also, she's a bit different from the typical Disney princess.  She longs for something else in her life, but it has nothing to do with a romantic relationship with a man.  In fact, she doesn't even necessarily want to get married, and she doesn't seem to mind living without a husband.  But it's not like she doesn't have any emotional or any other kind of depth as a person, because she does.  She's actually a somewhat charming character, and she's a good heroine.  And she and her mother eventually undergo some interesting yet charming mother-daughter bonding.

Overall, the movie could've been better, but I enjoyed it, and it was especially enjoyable on the big screen.  Brave is not one of Pixar's best films, but it's fairly good; it's charming, good-hearted, a bit witty, visually stunning, and has a likable heroine protagonist.  It's a good film to be seen with the family.





Cast and Credits:
Merida: Kelly Macdonald
Fergus: Billy Connolly
Elinor: Emma Thompson
The Witch: Julie Walters
Lord Dingwall: Robbie Coltrane

Walt Disney Pictures presents a Pixar film
Running time: 100 min.

Rated PG for some scary action and rude humor