Review of Brave (2012) by Chris W — 02 Sep 2013

This is Pixar's first film with a female lead, and, while it had a lot of potential and promise, it basically just ends up being a rehash of previous Disney princess films, only with a Celtic twist.

Merida is a strong willed teenage princess who wants to buck tradition and be a free spirit instead of fulfill the typical role of a girly princess. Her actions lead to chaos throughout the kingdom, and her dealings with a witch force her to undo a potentially devastating curse.

Like I said, this had a lot of potential. It ends up sticking to tradition and convention, but, even then, it's still decently well done. It's just a shame that they couldn't bring themselves to completely break away from tradition and forge new territory. There are at least a few tweaks to the formula that elevate the proceedings, so that's cool.

I liked how both of Merida's parents are alive or even present, as this is a rare thing in Disney/Pixarland. And it's nice too that the film focuses heavily on the mother/daughter relationship. It's just a bummer that the film keeps up the trend of having the heroine be a strong willed rebel who wants to defy convention. That, and the way this film characterizes medieval Scottish culture isn't exactly the most informed or balanced, or deep.

The film does at least look pretty though, even if Pixar has made far more visually striking and interesting pictures. And the film is quite watchable and decently paced, but it seems to cater primarily to younger kids over any other demographic.

All in all, this is a decent film, but somewhat of a letdown. It's not terrible, but it's far from unique. Still, it has just enough good going for it to keep me from rating it any lower.